


Dive in, the Water's Fine

by storywriter55



Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [9]
Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Marriage Proposal, Pregnancy, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28411365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storywriter55/pseuds/storywriter55
Summary: Peter and Neal have a heart to heart on the night before Neal pops the question while Elizabeth bonds with Neal's girlfriend. (Week 37). Takes place between chapter 1 and chapter 2 of 'Fortune Cookie, Anyone?'. Part of the 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' series.
Relationships: Neal Caffrey/Sara Ellis, Peter Burke & Neal Caffrey
Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995649
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Sara looked out the window of the Burke dining room - or at least, attempted to. Freezing rain coated the glass from top to bottom, making it impossible to see outside; just a sheet of thick, opaque ice and the loud tinkling of ice pellets relentlessly hitting the side of the house.

‘I don’t remember ever seeing an ice storm quite like this one’ she commented as she returned to the task of setting the table.

Elizabeth looked up from where she was tending to something on the stove. ‘They say it’s the worse we’ve had in fifty years.’

Sara took a cleansing breath and placed her hand on her large baby bump, rubbing it lovingly. At thirty-seven weeks, it seemed she was always on edge these days. She and Neal had spent the previous night at Lenox Hill following some intense contractions, arriving at the hospital in the middle of the night only to be turned away after a brief examination. Braxton Hicks contractions, the doctor had declared as he’d sent her on her way. Those were killer contractions and she hated to think what the real thing would eventually feel like. This baby was coming anytime now and she reflected on how awful it would be to have to drive out to the hospital on a night like tonight, with the weather so treacherous.

‘More contractions?’ El asked as she appeared next to her and gently placed her hand on Sara’s arm.

Sara snapped out of her reverie. ‘I’m getting them pretty well all the time now’ she confided. ‘The doctor says if the contractions ease when I move or change positions, it’s probably just Braxton Hicks but every time another one hits, I wonder if this might be it.’

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. She was looking forward to meeting her goddaughter but she could certainly wait until the weather cleared up to finally lay eyes on her.

‘Have you heard from Peter and Neal?’ Sara asked, shaking off the worry.

It seemed like a strange question for the young woman to be asking; she and Neal were joined at the hip and were usually in touch all throughout the day, every day - especially, in this late stage of her pregnancy when the ex-con was sticking to his girlfriend like glue. All Sara had to do was pick up the phone and reach out to him, something, surprisingly, she seemed reluctant to do.

‘I haven't talked to Peter since earlier this afternoon’ El admitted. ‘Why don’t you take a load off your feet and I’ll call the office and see if they’re on their way home.’

Sara gave in to her unsteady legs and sat at the dining room table, reaching as far as her belly allowed in order to place the cutlery at each of the place settings, all the while keeping her ears attuned to what was going on in the kitchen. She’d had one brief conversation with Neal earlier in the day when he’d called to check on her and, considering the fact that she’d asked him to give her a little bit of space, it wouldn't do for her to start hounding him now.

‘You guys haven't left yet?’ she heard Elizabeth say into the phone.

‘I was waiting until the weather cleared up, but it still looks wicked out there’ came Peter’s voice on the other end. ‘And it’s just one guy, Neal’s not here.’

‘Neal’s not there?’ El repeated, as Sara’s ears perked up.

‘He asked for the day off to take care of... some personal business’ Peter replied, circumspect. ‘I’ll explain later. Is Sara there yet?’

‘Yeah, she came straight over from work before things got too bad’ El replied.

‘That’s good. How’s she doing?’ Peter asked, an unusual question, to be sure.

Elizabeth gave a furtive glance in Sara’s direction, sitting a few feet away and pretending not to be listening in on the conversation.

To her awkward silence, Peter continued. ‘Look, honey this doesn't look like it’s going to clear up anytime soon so I’m just going to finish up a few things and make a start. It may take me a while to get home, though.’

‘That’s okay honey, take your time. We’ll keep dinner warm for you’ El replied before hanging up.

Despite her intention to play it cool, it took about a second and a half for Sara to speak up, glancing over in Elizabeth’s direction with a frown.

‘Neal’s not with him?’ she asked, trying without success to sound nonchalant.

Elizabeth made a split second decision to downplay the situation; it wouldn't do to worry Sara unnecessarily. From her reaction, it was obvious she didn't know Neal had taken the day off — or why, for that matter. Whatever was happening between the two of them was none of her business — but she intended to do some snooping just the same.

‘He said Neal left a little earlier and is coming straight over here’ El explained.

‘Oh, all right’ Sara said, her voice quiet.

Sara had been acting shifty ever since she’d arrived and El was beginning to wonder if there might be trouble in paradise. She and Neal had been blissfully happy since they’d found out she was pregnant but whether it was the looming birth or maybe some lover’s quarrel between the parents-to-be, something was amiss and El was determined to find out what was going on.

She turned down the stove and glanced over her shoulder, noticing Sara yawning; poor woman was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

‘Why don’t you go lie down on the couch while we wait for the guys’ she suggested. ‘The driving’s going to be horrendous, it’s going to be a while before either one of them gets here.’

The mom-to-be seemed to hesitate; sadly, she had to accept that impromptu naps were an unfortunate feature of her present existence.

‘Go on’ Elizabeth insisted. ‘I’ll just finish up with the salad and I’ll join you. How about a nice hot cup of tea?’

Sara nodded and struggled to get to her feet, waddling rather inelegantly to the Burke living room where she let herself drop onto the couch with a loud sigh. She kicked off her sensible shoes and put up her feet,letting her head drop on the nearby cushion, her eyes immediately drifting shut. She was exhausted after spending most of the previous night at the hospital. Upon their return that morning, she had sent Neal off to work and had insisted on going back to her apartment, on the pretext that she needed to check her mail and pick up some clothes. By noon, she’d been at her desk at Sterling Bosch, answering emails and meeting with staff, running on mere fumes and dragging her oversized belly around with her everywhere she went.

Since the start of her third trimester, she’d cut back on her hours at work but even working part time was taking its toll and seemed more than she could handle. She was perpetually cranky and tired, her fuse considerably shorter than her already short fuse to say nothing of the fact that her feet were swollen to the size of bowling balls and she needed to pee every five minutes. Those extra forty pounds she was lugging around felt like a ball and chain and she was fed up with the fact that her body had been highjacked, leaving her to suffer the unpleasant repercussions.

Besides all the unpleasant physical changes however, was the insatiable sex drive which had completely taken over her body from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Those pregnancy hormones and the constant pressure on her lower belly had her in an almost constant state of arousal but the mechanics of acting on her impulses had become rather tricky as of late. Her overzealous libido had taken Neal by surprise at first — although up until recently, he’d had no complaints and seemed more than happy to roll with the punches. Sadly, she’d noticed that his response to her overtures had grown rather lukewarm over the past couple of weeks and he seemed increasingly reluctant to get it on, gently rebuking her advances. Was it any wonder? She felt like the leaning tower of Pisa, humongous and off-kilter, far from the confident, sexy woman she’d always thought of herself as being in the boudoir.

Dragging herself around was becoming more and more difficult and Neal was watching her like a hawk, on her case constantly about getting enough rest and eating properly. In the evening, when he got home, he would follow her around the apartment like a lost puppy dog, offering to rub her feet, fetching things for her and generally making sure she didn't want for anything. Their previously fun-loving, free and easy life had morphed into a boring, domesticated existence with her belly, the centre of their universe. She longed for those days when they could be impulsive, when their love life was spontaneous and not dictated by an object the size of an overinflated basketball.

Neal had been urging her to quit work and get some rest but Sara just couldn't quite bring herself to stop working altogether. So much of her identity was wrapped up in being a badass insurance investigator andif she stopped even for a few months... well, she wasn't sure where that left her. Being a mom had never been on her radar and now circumstances had led her to this place which was totally out of her comfort zone, leaving her apprehensive and insecure.

But as tired and miserable as she felt, she couldn't help but worry about Neal. He was sweet, patient and understanding but she knew he wasn't getting enough sleep. She’d begun to snore loudly, waking herself on more than one occasion and she was having to get up a dozen times a night to go the washroom, interrupting her boyfriend’s much needed slumber. But worst of all, were those increasingly frequent occasions where, despite Herculean efforts, she couldn't get her sorry ass off the toilet by herself and needed to call for him to come and rescue her: something that was both impractical and humiliating.

At least, she could make up for the lack of sleep and head out to work a little later but poor Neal was expected at his desk at 8:00 come rain or come shine and the closer they got to the baby’s arrival, she’d noticed how, despite his efforts to put on a brave face, he was dragging himself around like a zombie.

Her concern for her boyfriend had Sara wondering if she shouldn't just go back to live in her apartment so her baby daddy could get some sleep. That way, she could prepare for their daughter’s arrival without constantly wondering if the living arrangements they’d fallen into quite by accident, would someday come to an end. She and Neal had never planned on living together - not long term, anyway. Days after finding out she was pregnant, she’d been injured on a recovery and upon release from hospital, Neal had insisted she move in with him until she got back on her feet. But days had turned into weeks then months and here she was, seven months later, still camped out over on Riverside Drive, feeling like she was sucking the life out of Neal.

Sara felt the baby move and she brought her hand to caress her stomach; their baby girl had become more and more active and, at night, when she kicked repeatedly, keeping her mommy from settling down to sleep, Neal would gently sing to her, bringing his face up nice and close to Sara’s huge belly, placing loving kisses as he crooned. He was wonderful and yet... Sara had begun to have irrational misgivings about hers and Neal’s long term relationship. She knew without a doubt that he would be there for the baby but despite his assurances, she just didn't know where they were headed as a couple. Neal was making superhuman efforts to stay clean but more than once, she’d seen that glimmer of excitement in his eyes when Mozzie stopped by to discuss some off-track venture. She knew it wasn't easy for him to forgo the thrills and excitement of his previous life even if he insisted he was exactly where he wanted to be.

El appeared with a large mug of tea and set it in front of her on the coffee table. She took the seat across from Sara, studying her friend’s face.

‘Sara, what is it? What’s wrong? It’s obvious something’s bothering you. Did you and Neal have a fight or something?’ El asked, solicitous.

Sara’s eyes met her friend’s and she sighed. ‘Or something...’ she said.

WCWCWC

Neal stepped off the subway and climbed the steps up to the street, almost instantly regretting his decision not to cab it directly over to the Burkes’ place in Brooklyn. Freezing rain was teeming down, covering every single surface with ice: beautiful to look at, treacherous to navigate. Luckily, he was just a short block away from the Federal Building and he pulled up the collar on his coat and repositioned his hat, stepping gingerly onto the sidewalk, careful not to lose his footing.

He had a fleeting thought for Sara; he hoped she'd arrived safely at Casa Burke. He had been purposefully vague about his whereabouts when he’d called to check on her earlier in the afternoon. She’dlikely assumed he was sitting at his desk at the office and he’d made no effort to correct her on that score. After all, how could she possibly know that he wasn't at the White Collar offices but rather in a little coffee shop across from Perrywinkles, where he’d just made the most important purchase of his life.

The Federal Building came into view as the cold rain pelted his face, pinching his cheeks and forcing him to turn his head away momentarily. Thoughts of the night before came flooding back; it had been a real wake-up call - in more ways than one. Neal had been thoroughly unimpressed with himself and his frantic response to Sara’s sudden contractions; he'd been an uncharacteristic mess as he sprinted around the apartment, grabbing Sara’s bag and fumbling as he helped her slip on some clothes so they could head out into the cold March night. He shook his head as he recalled how he’d become a bumbling idiot, almost forgetting Sara inside the apartment when he’d finally headed out to street and thecab he’d summoned.

As the days passed, the imminent arrival of their baby daughter was becoming all too real and he had to admit to feeling equal parts excitement and trepidation as the big day loomed. He couldn't wait to meet his little girl, to finally hold her in his arms and to embark on this incredible adventure into parenthood with Sara by his side. They’d been solid over the past few months, growing closer with each passing day as they made plans for the arrival of their little one - plans for three. He’d never even contemplated that things might play out differently and for that reason, Sara’s nocturnal mutterings about moving back to her old place had thrown him for a loop.

He reflected on the doubts Sara had expressed, wondering were they’d sprouted from. Sure, when she’d moved in following that horrible attack, their living arrangements had been temporary - meant as a stop gap measure while she healed from her injuries. But he’d grown accustomed to having her there, from morning till night and he couldn't imagine his life any other way, daring to believe she felt the same way. Whatever the reason, Sara was having doubts as to their future; obviously, he hadn't done a good enough job of letting her know how he felt, how much he loved her, how important she was to him and how excited he was to be sharing this adventure with her.

They were about to become a family and he realized just how very much he longed for something he’d always assumed he could never have.

He patted his jacket pocket, feeling the lump against his breastbone and he pulled his hat down to cover his face as he kept walking resolutely towards the Federal Building.

WCWCWC

Peter sat at his desk, finishing up some last minute e-mails before heading home to El. The bull pen was quiet, considering he’d sent everybody home early. The weather was crappy and as the team leader, he wanted to make sure everybody got an early start for what would likely be a long commute home.

‘Peter’ came a voice from just outside his office. ‘I thought you’d left.’

‘Hey Reese’ Peter replied, standing to greet his boss. ‘It looked pretty nasty out there so I thought I’d wait a little for the traffic to thin out.’

Reese Hughes finished buttoning up his overcoat. ‘Well, don’t stay too late. I’m bringing some reading for the train’ he said, pointing to his briefcase.

‘Is everything all right with Caffrey? I noticed he wasn't in today’ the older man said.

‘He was just... a little under the weather so I sent him home’ Peter fibbed as Hughes nodded.

‘I notice that lately, he’s been keeping his nose clean’ Reese commented. ‘Good job, Peter!’

Peter smiled at the positive feedback although he knew that Sara’s influence and the extra baggage she was carrying had a lot more to do with the changes in Neal than he could ever hope to have.

‘Well, good luck getting home. I’ll see you in the morning for that 9:00 briefing’ Reese said with a tip of his hat.

‘Good night Reese’ Peter said, returning to the pile of papers scattered on his desk.

The place grew quiet once more and Peter’s thoughts wandered to his CI, although not for the usual reasons. Neal always seemed to be on his mind for one reason or another; usually because the agent suspected Neal was involved in planning or, worse yet, carrying out, one of his many harebrained schemes. But, as Reese had just noted, there had been some marked changes in his CI these past few months. Although Neal was still impulsive and his behaviour impossible to predict, he’d managed to stay out of trouble since Sara had moved in and he seemed to be making a genuine effort to stay on the straight and narrow, something Peter was eternally grateful for.

Ice pellets pinged loudly against his office window and Peter got to his feet, glancing outside at the heavy traffic below as he recalled how unsettled Neal had been that morning. His CI had shown up for work, flustered and distracted, his clothes wrinkled as if he'd slept in them - which, Peter had found out, wasn’t far from the truth. Neal had confided that he'd taken Sara to the emergency room only to be discharged almost immediately after they’d arrived. The baby’s imminent arrival meant that Neal was on pins on needles but after some prodding, he’d admitted to Peter that what had most upset him was a discussion he’d had with Sara about living arrangements and her insistence on going back to her apartment, at least temporarily.

Neal had been far from his calm, cool, collected self as he’d confided about how Sara had listed all the reasons they might be better living apart - some nonsense about him needing his rest and the fact that they’d fallen into their current living arrangements quite by accident.

  
The past few weeks had taken their toll on Neal; he was listless and tired and Peter had noticed he was having difficulty concentrating at work, his mind wandering constantly, nowhere near as sharp as he usually was. More than once, Peter had found Neal sitting at his desk, staring off into space or with his eyes glued to his computer as he perused pregnancy and birthing websites instead of working on his mortgage fraud cases. He’d even found Neal snoring at his desk one morning, right there in the open with everyone milling around him in the bullpen.

Peter returned to his desk and was busy tidying up some files when the uneasy silence was broken by the soft swish of the elevator door opening and closing in the distance. A little late for visitors, he thought as he craned his neck to check out the new arrival.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

It took less than a minute for Elizabeth to break through Sara Ellis’ seemingly impenetrable shell.

Not that it was all that difficult. Ever since Sara had gotten pregnant, those annoying pregnancy hormones which were coursing through her veins had made her a lot mellower and much more vulnerable than she’d ever been. She was a far cry from the distant and aloof young woman Elizabeth had met a few years back. During the unending chase for Neal Caffrey, El had run into the young, ambitious insurance investigator at Peter’s office one morning and she’d been left to wonder what could have possibly happened in the course of this young woman’s life to leave her so jaded and angry? At first sight, Sara Ellis had come across as cold and calculating, focussed solely on her job, without room for anything else and Elizabeth had been curious as to what could possibly be behind this intense woman’s cold and aloof demeanour.

Getting to know Sara had taken some time and as Neal began spending more and more time with her, Elizabeth had been more than willing to give her a chance. Peter had convinced her that the young woman was just what Neal needed: someone with a moral compass who could be a good influence on him and challenge him on those crazy schemes of his that could only land him back in prison.

Of course, it had been a double-edged sword as Peter had found out during both the Scott Rivers and the Vulture cases. Hanging around Neal Caffrey had brought out the adventurous and somewhat rogue side of Sara and exposed all those grey areas she was more than willing to venture into. As a successful insurance investigator, she depended on her sharp wit and quick thinking to get her out of a myriad of dangerous situations and she could lie to your face or manipulate you without shame if it meant she would come out on top of a recovery.

But there were lines even someone like Sara Ellis would never cross and with her unexpected pregnancy, Neal had been forced to decide where to align himself - with Mozzie and the thrill of the con or with Sara and the promise of a new life.

Getting inside Sara’s head and figuring out what made her tick was like cat nip for someone like Elizabeth Burke and she’d endeavoured to find out what events from her past had shaped Sara’s outlook on life and caused her to become so bitter and unapproachable. It didn't take long to discover that the young insurance investigator had lived a rough life, full of pain and loss. At a young age, Sara’s beloved sister haddisappeared never to be heard from again and a few years later, both her parents had perished in a terrible car accident - life changing events that had left her numb and vulnerable. Further digging had convinced Elizabeth that underneath that crusty exterior was a soft, gentle heart that just required a little patience to uncover and a romantic like Neal Caffrey might just be the one to do it.

‘What happened, Sara? Why are you so upset?’ El asked as she settled in with her cup of tea.

Sara propped herself up on her elbow, sitting up with difficulty before reaching out for the steaming mug of tea which had been placed in front of her.

She balanced it carefully on her belly and looked up at Elizabeth with a frown. ‘It’s nothing...’ she began, her whole body screaming that it was far from nothing.

El just waited patiently for Sara to fess up - which was only a question of time. ‘Neal and I... I’m just not sure where we stand’ Sara admitted.

‘What are you talking about?’ Elizabeth couldn't help but blurt out. ‘Did something happen? Did you two have an argument?’

‘No, not really’ Sara muttered. ‘He’s been patient and sweet and loving...’

‘I’m not hearing a problem...’ El said with a kind smile.

Sara took a sip of tea and brought her hand to rest on her large belly. ‘Oh El, things are so messed up.’

Elizabeth got to her feet and moved to sit on the couch next to Sara, bringing her hand to rest on the mother-to-be’s back. That’s all it took for the waterworks to be unleashed and the next thing she knew, Sara was sobbing loudly, trying to catch her breath.

‘Oh, honey... Neal loves you and your beautiful daughter is about to be born. It’s an exciting time but it’s stressful too.’

‘You don’t understand’ Sara blubbered. ‘I can’t even get off the couch without help anymore and my feet... look at them’ she added as she pointed to her swollen ankles, the sobbing intensifying.

Although both those things might be true, it was obvious to someone as astute as Elizabeth Burke that there was a lot more to the story than swollen ankles. Whatever was troubling Sara was something else altogether and it was her job to keep digging until she got to the bottom of it.

‘Sara, that’s normal’ El attempted, although it was obvious it was going to take more than a passing word of encouragement to bring Sara back from the edge.

‘No, it’s not!’ Sara replied petulantly. She stopped and looked into El’s kind eyes, realizing she’d spoken a little too loudly. El didn't deserve to be spoken to in that tone of voice when all she was trying to do was help.

‘I’m sorry’ Sara sobbed.

‘Don’t be’ El reassured her, her hand reaching out for Sara’s. ‘I know the last few weeks of pregnancy can be rough.’

Sara nodded silently, tears streaming down her face as she tried to compose herself.

‘Neal can’t even get a good night’s sleep anymore because I’m up every five minutes... and he needs to get up in the morning to go to work...’

‘Is he complaining?’ El asked, her voice soft. ‘No’ Sara moaned. ‘But...’

‘But what?’

Sara wasn't done with the litany of things that were on her mind and, now that the floodgates had opened, she couldn’t be stopped.

‘Those stairs at June’s... I can barely get up to Neal’s apartment... and he keeps pushing me away when I want to have sex... and he’s always on my case about eating more protein... and... I don’t think he really wants me living there...’

‘Whoa, whoa, let’s take those one at a time, okay’ Elizabeth suggested. ‘Neal has been beaming since you got pregnant. Isn't he the one who suggested you come and stay with him in the first place?’

‘Yes, but...’ Sara admitted, sniffling. ‘I only moved in to his place because I had a cast on my arm and it was never our intention to make it permanent. I know he’ll always be there for the baby but we never really discussed where we were going to live.’

‘Has he said anything? About you moving out?’

‘No...’ Sara whined. ‘Not exactly.’

Seeing the usually stoic young woman falling apart in front of her eyes was disconcerting and El stared down at her cup of tea, letting out a long slow breath and wishing she was sipping a fine glass of wine instead of Earl Grey.

Sara was off to the races once more. ‘But we never talked about me living there permanently and now the baby’s coming and... what if Neal can’t hack it. I’d just... I’d rather get settled back at my place and have everything organized by the time the baby’s born.’

‘Honey, I really think you should talk this over with Neal. I never got the impression that he felt pressured into having you stay at June’s. As a matter of fact, he talks about you living there like it’s a... permanent thing. And I don't hear him complaining about it.’

‘As far as those other things, why don’t you just sit down and discuss them with him’ Elizabeth continued. ‘I’m sure it’s not true that Neal doesn't want to have sex with you.’

Sara rolled her eyes; she was too far gone to be coherent and nothing El said seemed to be making things better. She continued her irrational rant.

‘We used to do it all the time’ she said, her breath halting and her brow knitted. ‘All the time!’ she repeated for emphasis. ‘And now... he wants to cuddle. Cuddle, El! That’s code for... you’re bigger than a duplex and I have no interest in having sex with you.’

Elizabeth couldn't hold back a chuckle and Sara gave her a dirty look in response.

‘Sara, you’re a beautiful, sexy woman and Neal loves you... and he’s right about protein, it is good for you’ she added, hoping to lighten the mood.

Sara shook her head and wiped her face, letting out a very unladylike snort. A funny look came over her face and she glanced towards the staircase.

‘I have to pee... again’ she moaned as El gave her a hand to stand and sent her on her way up the stairs, watching her climb the steps one by one and making sure she arrived at her destination without incident.

‘Call me if you need anything’ she called from downstairs.

The moment Sara was out of sight, El was back on the phone, grumbling as Peter’s office line went straight to voice mail.

WCWCWC

Peter stepped around his desk and headed out his office door on a mission to investigate the sounds coming from the bullpen. He took one step outside his office, coming face to face with Neal who was sprinting up the stairs with a spring in his step.

‘Neal! What are you doing back here?’ Peter asked, noting the state in which his CI was in: namely soaking wet. ‘I thought you were going straight over to our place.’

‘I was...’ Neal said, slightly out of breath. ‘But I was closer to here so I thought I’d hitch a ride home with you’ Neal explained, taking off his dripping wet overcoat and holding it at arms length, sending droplets of rain sprinkling to the floor.

Peter gave him a look of suspicion and took a step back to keep from getting soaked.

‘It’s hell out there’ Neal added as he shook the rain off his hat.

‘So I see’ Peter replied, returning to his office with Neal following close behind.

‘I was hoping you hadn't left yet’ Neal commented as he stood in front of Peter’s desk, glancing down at the files strewn about.

‘I was just finishing up a couple of things... thought I’d let the traffic die down’ Peter replied, tidying up the many files lying there. ‘Not that it looks like it’s going to get better any time soon.’

‘Yeah, it’s pretty nasty out there. The sidewalks are worse than the roads, though’ Neal remarked.

‘So, why did you really come all the way back here?’ Peter asked as he began to turn off his computer and pack up his things.

‘I just told you... I wanted to hitch a ride over to your place’ Neal attempted a second time, without much conviction.

Peter gave him the look of incredulity he always gave him whenever he knew Neal was trying to pull the wool over his eyes and Neal replied with that annoying smug smile he always had at the ready.

‘Fine, don’t tell me’ Peter said, visibly annoyed.

Neal seemed to soften at this; truth was he’d been hoping to have some time alone with Peter before he had to face Sara again. Things were moving fast and he hoped that the ride home in the car would afford him the chance to get Peter’s advice on what was turning out to be the most important decision of his life.

‘So, did you have a productive day?’ Peter asked with a quirky grin.

‘You might say that, yeah’ Neal replied cryptically.

His hand moved discretely to pat the outside of his suit jacket, checking that the precious item hidden in his inside pocket was still firmly in place. As a means of distraction, he shook his overcoat again, trying to get most of the moisture off before having to slip back into it. His tentative movements were not lost on Peter who was becoming quite skilled at recognizing his CI’s many tells.

He observed Neal fidgeting out of the corner of his eye. ‘Well, you seem to be in a better mood than you were this morning’ he commented.

The comment went unchallenged, Neal turning to deflection instead of responding. ‘So, how were things around here? Anything new happen today?’

‘Naw, still working on finishing up the report on the Morris case and Diana had a hissy fit because someone left the coffee pot on the burner too long and burned the bottom of the pot’ he said, glancing up at Neal and smirking. ‘You know... the usual stuff.’

‘Well, who can blame her? It is annoying when the coffee pot is left on the burner too long’ Neal said, humouring his boss.

Peter chuckled. ‘So, are you ready to go? Sara’s already at our place’ he said, glancing in Neal’s direction.

He immediately picked up some tension in Neal’s body language at the mention of his girlfriend’s name and he studied his CI for a moment in the hopes of figuring out what the problem was - an impossible task if Neal decided he was going to clam up and not share what was most obviously on his mind.

‘Did you talk to her today?’ he prodded in response to Neal’s silence.

‘Yeah, yeah, I checked in with her earlier... you know, just to make sure she was okay to make it over to your place by herself.’

Peter chuckled at the thought of someone the likes of Sara Ellis needing help to get anywhere by herself. She was a force to be reckoned with, not unlike his own wife, both strong, capable women who could go anywhere, do anything without the help of two buffoons like him and Neal.

‘So, how did that go over? Like a lead balloon?’ Peter said in jest.

He was surprised to find that Neal didn't have a snappy comeback to his quip; instead, Neal just seemed to get even more fidgety.

‘So, you still haven’t... talked things out? Since this morning?’ Peter asked, reaching for his coat on the nearby coat rack.

Sometimes, avoiding Neal’s gaze made the man less cagey and he could pick up something in his voice that resembled honesty.

‘We haven't really... had the chance to talk. She went in to work for a few hours and then she was heading over to your place...’ Neal explained as he slipped into his damp coat and shivered.

It was obvious there was more to it than that but Peter decided he’d wait Neal out. He turned off the lights in his office and led the way down to the bullpen with Neal following, right on his heels.

‘I thought she was going to stop working’ Peter commented.

Neal looked away, seemingly uncomfortable. Sara was pig-headed and fiercely independent; no advice from anyone, including her baby daddy seemed to any effect on her once she got something in her head.

‘So did I...’ he mumbled, leaving Peter to deduce the rest.

‘So, what’s El making for dinner?’ Neal asked, unwilling to get into any discussion of substance until he could have Peter’s full attention.

Peter frowned. ‘I don’t know. I just show up and eat what she puts in front of me’ he replied with a playful grin.

The men made their way down the steps and across the bullpen with Neal slowing down to pat his Socrates bust as they walked past his desk - an annoying habit he'd gotten into. Just as they reached the door, the sound of Peter’s office phone was heard ringing in the distance and the two men exchanged looks.

‘Do you want to see who that is?’ Neal asked as pointed towards the stairs.

‘No, they’ll leave a message’ Peter mumbled as he stepped through the glass doors and made his way to stand in front of the elevators. He pressed the down button and looked up to see how long they’d be waiting for its arrival. ‘I’ve kept El waiting long enough.’

It took but a second for his cell phone to ring and Peter pulled it out of his suit jacket pocket, glancing down at the screen.

‘El’ he informed Neal as he prepared to answer. ‘Hi honey’ he said with a gentle smile.

‘Yeah, we’re just leaving now’ he replied to her obvious question. ‘Neal showed up here after all so we’re going to head out. Don’t worry, the roads are bad so we might be a while. How’s everything over there?’

Neal watched with interest as Peter listened to El’s long response, his smile melting as she went on much longer than expected.

‘Is something wrong?’ Neal couldn't help but ask, getting right in Peter’s face in an attempt to get his attention.

With three weeks to go until D-day, he was a mess every time his phone rang. Of course, if Sara was in labour she’d be calling him and not getting El to call Peter, he reasoned as he waited for Peter to respond to his question. But things were a little tense between them at the moment and he'd given up a long time ago predicting what Sara Ellis would do in any given situation.

Peter put up his hand, silently asking Neal to stay quiet while Elizabeth finished talking.

‘Just do your best, honey and we’ll be there as soon as we can’ Peter said before signing off and putting his phone away.

‘What? What is it? Is it Sara?’ Neal asked, growing worried.

The elevator ding was heard and the doors slowly opened, beckoning the two men inside. ‘Get in. I’ll tell you all about it.’

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Sara came back downstairs, she’d managed to pull herself together. She hated not being in full possession of her faculties and yet, lately, more often than not, she would find herself losing control of her emotions, without regard for who was within striking range. She’d taken the time to wash her face and given herself an extra couple of minutes to regain her composure before following the wonderful odours emanating from the kitchen.

The sound of freezing drizzle could be heard pounding against the house, so loud that Elizabeth didn't hear Sara returning. She looked up from the plate of cheese and crackers she was preparing and gave her friend an encouraging smile.

‘Feeling better?’ she asked when she spotted Sara returning, with that uncharacteristic waddle.

‘Yeah’ Sara replied, looking somewhat embarrassed. ‘Sorry about that little... outburst.’

‘What are you apologizing for? You've got a lot going on and it’s perfectly normal to be emotional when you’re about to give birth’ Elizabeth replied with a kind smile. ‘Here, have a piece of cheese... protein.’

‘Oh no!’ Sara laughed. ‘Are you channelling Neal now?’

Elizabeth joined in with a chuckle. ‘He’s right you know, protein is important for the baby.’

She pointed to the oven which was giving off a heavenly smell. ‘I put some appetizers in the oven to tide us over. It’s going to be a while before they get here.’

‘They? I thought you said Neal wasn't with Peter’ Sara said as she took a small nibble of the cheese, her appetite seemingly vanished.

‘That’s what I thought but I just talked to Peter and he says Neal showed up at the office after all. They’re just leaving now.’

The sound of the unrelenting ice pellets continued, pelting the windows and the side of the house as Sara struggled to position herself rather clumsily on one of the kitchen stools.

‘Oh, honey don’t sit on that. Come on’ Elizabeth said, taking Sara’s arm. ‘Let’s get you settled on the couch where you’ll be more comfortable.’

Sara struggled to stand, leaning on El for support and grumbling under her breath.

‘Forty fucking pounds’ she murmured in her usual acerbic tone of voice. ‘How the hell am I supposed to get rid of forty fucking pounds?’

El chuckled despite herself and Sara gave her a dirty look in response.

‘Oh sure, you can laugh. You’re not the one who’s rented out her uterus to an alien and lost total control of her bladder’ Sara continued, noticing a sudden change in her friend’s demeanour.

She immediately realized the lack of sensitivity in her random rant. ‘I’m sorry, El. That was insensitive of me’ she immediately added.

El put on a brave face and waved it off although Sara knew it couldn't be easy for the older woman to be watching her friend complain about her pregnancy when she, herself, had been struggling with infertility her whole adult life.

All throughout her pregnancy, Sara had tried to be sensitive to Elizabeth and Peter’s plight, knowing full well how much they’d wished and prayed for a baby of their own. Here she was, pregnant quite by accident - and complaining about it when the older couple would have given their eye teeth to be in their place. Life was cruel... and at times, Sara felt awkward when she was in Elizabeth’s presence despite the fact that El had been nothing but happy for her friend’s happy circumstance.

The women settled back down on the couch and Elizabeth smiled sadly as she returned to her cup to tea.

‘It’s okay, Sara. I’ve really made peace with all that’ she said, forcing a smile. ‘Anyway, I’m excited about becoming this little baby’s godmother and I expect Peter and I to be at the very top of your list of babysitters.’

Sara chuckled. ‘You are. As a matter of fact, you’re the whole list. Neal is going to be impossible once she’s born’ she said, her gaze faraway. ‘He’s not ever going to want to let his little girl out of his sight.’

‘I have to admit it’s been a hoot watching him morph into this doting father-to-be’ Elizabeth commented. ‘You know, I’ve learned more about the stages of pregnancy from listening to him over the past six months than I’ve known my whole life.’

‘Try living with him’ Sara laughed. ‘I get a play by play on a daily basis. The baby has fingernails... the baby is the size of a walnut... no a peach... no an orange, she’s sucking her thumb... she has the hiccups, she... anyway, you get the picture.’

Elizabeth laughed. ‘I think it’s sweet’ she said as Sara rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve never seen Neal so invested in anything. And I mean anything.’

‘You’re right...’ Sara conceded with a smile. ‘Most of the time, it is sweet but it can be a little overwhelming. And he sings to the baby every night. Says it’s important for his daughter to recognize his voice.’

Sara got a faraway look in her eyes and rubbed her belly lovingly. ‘He’s going to be an amazing dad’ she said wistfully. ‘I’m just not sure about where that leaves the two of us. Somedays, I think we’re headed for a more permanent relationship, maybe even marriage someday and then, other days, all I can see is the ex- con and I wonder if Neal can ever really settle down.’

‘You know, people change Sara. You have’ El commented. Sara seemed to get defensive.

‘No, I haven’t!’

‘Are you kidding?’ El replied without hesitation. ‘You are totally different from the woman I met that morning in Peter’s office.’

‘You mean back when we were chasing Neal around the globe?’ Sara asked as Elizabeth nodded. ‘That was different, that was work’ she continued. ‘I was focussed and —’

‘Focussed? You were driven, lady... totally driven and you didn't care who you bulldozed to get to where you wanted to go.’

Instead of getting defensive or upset, Sara grinned and nodded. ‘All right, maybe I have mellowed a little with time’ she admitted.

‘You think?’ El laughed.

‘It’s Neal... it’s impossible not to melt when he looks at me the way he does, when he tells me he loves me, when he talks to the baby...’

She looked up at El, all dewy-eyed, worried she might be oversharing; their friendship was still new and truth be told, Sara Ellis wasn't used to having girlfriends to confide in. The wall she’d erected to keep herself from getting hurt had been solidly built, brick by brick and although it had begun to crumble, it was mighty tempting to get behind that barrier and hide.

‘You’ve both changed’ El reminded her. ‘Neal is not the same man he was when he first walked into this house three years ago. And since you’ve gotten pregnant... it’s like he’s discovered that he’s allowed to be happy... just like the rest of us’ Elizabeth commented.

‘El, Neal has travelled all over the world looking for thrills and... excitement. He’s really not the marrying kind. I don’t want to expect too much from him and end up being disappointed. It would just be easier to... you know, to settle down with the baby at my own place and he can see her anytime he wants, spend as much time as he wants with her. I don’t want to break up with Neal... I love him... but maybe our... loose and casual arrangement is all I can ever expect from him.’

Elizabeth examined her friend’s face, noting the worry lines forming on her forehead. For all her arguments to the contrary, it was obvious that raising her daughter on her own was not what Sara really wanted. The fear of rejection was forcing her back into her shell, protecting her from the potential of getting hurt.

‘You know, everybody has to take a risk sometime’ El said, leaning in and taking Sara’s hand. ‘That’s what it’s all about; if you don’t take a chance, you’ll never know.’

There was a loud ding from the kitchen, the appetizers were ready. ‘To be continued’ El said, leaving a confused Sara to sit and ruminate.

WCWCWC

The elevator door closed and Neal’s eyes were still fixated on Peter, waiting to hear all about his brief telephone conversation with El.

‘Well?’ he asked, turning to face his handler. ‘What’s going on back at your place?’

‘It’s nothing...’ Peter said, hesitating. ‘El just said Sara was feeling pretty emotional.’

‘Emotional?’ Neal repeated. ‘What do you mean emotional?’

The echo of what he’d just said rang in his ears; it was really no surprise that Sara was feeling ‘emotional’. That was pretty well her permanent state of mind these days - not that he was complaining.

He’d been surprised, at first, to discover the multitude of intense emotions pouring out of Sara Ellis, uncensored and unbidden. She’d been in his orbit for a long time and he’d learned to appreciate herstrength of character, her perseverance and the fact that she was smart and fearless and that she could stand up to pretty well anything life threw her way. Discovering his girlfriend’s sensitive side had been quite the roller-coaster ride; she could go from giddy to tearful in a few seconds and he was learning to roll with the punches and react from moment to moment as best he could.

Peter’s eyes finally met Neal’s as he tried to make light of what he’d said although that was going to be impossible with Neal badgering him.

‘She was just... a little upset about... things’ he managed to say.

‘What things?’ Neal countered without missing a beat.

‘Neal, I wasn’t there’ Peter replied with a touch of impatience. ‘I don’t know what things. El didn't say but I’m guessing it’s probably the same stuff you were upset about this morning when you two were arguing.’

‘We weren’t arguing’ Neal retorted, looking away. ‘We were... discussing —’

The words had just left his lips when the elevator stopped abruptly and seemed to drop a few feet, leaving the two men to grab onto the wall to keep from losing their balance.

‘What the hell...’ Peter muttered, under his breath.

The sudden movement was followed by total darkness which lasted but a few seconds before a small spotlight neither one of them had ever even noticed came on, flooding the space with a dull, muted light.

‘Shit! You’re kidding me!’ Peter cursed as he reached out and began pressing the button for the lobbyrepeatedly.

Neal put his hand up to stop him. ‘Peter, Peter, stop! You’re going to break that thing.’

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone, cursing under his breath as he brought it to his ear.

‘No service?’ Peter asked rather unnecessarily as Neal shook his head.

‘There’s never any service in this goddamn elevator’ Neal grumbled as he began to poke around the control panel.

There was an alarm button and the two men exchanged looks as Neal pressed it, the shrill ringing sound heard echoing throughout the building. He immediately released it and frowned.

‘Well, that’s helpful’ he said sarcastically.

He returned to examining the panel, noticing a call button for emergencies, something he'd never needed to use in all the years he’d ridden the elevator in the Federal Building.

‘Well, I guess that’s what this is for’ he said, pressing it decisively and hearing a phone ringing through the intercom.

Peter stood next to him, staring down at the contraption as it rang, seemingly forever.

‘Emergency services’ a woman’s voice was heard as Neal glanced over at Peter and gave him a look that said _‘I told you so’_.

‘Hi, we’re stuck in an elevator over on Federal Plaza... the Federal Building’ Neal announced, his voice calm.

‘Is everyone safe?’ the woman asked.

‘Yeah, there’s just two of us, me and my partner’ Peter chimed in, leaning in to talk to the disembodied voice. ‘We work in the building.’

Neal removed his hat, smiling almost imperceptibly at the word Peter had uttered so casually. On more than one occasion, he’d chastised Neal for referring to him as his partner and it always stung when Peter reminded Neal that his role was that of criminal informant.

The woman’s voice returned, sounding like she was talking through a tin can. ‘Sir, there’s been a power failure in that area due to the ice storm. Hydro is working to restore power but it might take a little while.’

‘A little while?’ Peter repeated.

‘I don't have a definite on that but sit tight for now. Let us know if you there’s a problem and we’ll see about sending someone out but for now, that’s all we can do.’

‘Fine’ Peter grumbled as he heard the phone line disconnect.

He glanced over at Neal who seemed relaxed, despite the situation. He watched as the younger man wriggled out of his coat and began to move methodically from one corner of the elevator to the next, trying to get a cell signal finally giving up and letting himself slip down the back wall with a loud huff.

‘Neal, you heard the lady. As soon as the power comes back on, we’ll be back in business’ Peter said.

‘I just wanted to send Sara a quick text... tell her what’s going on’ Neal grumbled.

Peter watched as Neal stretched his long legs, taking up practically the whole length of the elevator car, seemingly settling in for a long wait and he followed suit, reluctantly peeling off his overcoat and throwing it in the corner before letting himself slide down the side wall to join Neal on the floor.

Neal piped up. ‘You know, I read somewhere that the average New Yorker who works in a high rise office building spends 5.9 years of his lifetime waiting for an elevator.’

‘That’s depressing. That’s almost 6 years of my life I’ll never get back.’

Despite Neal’s lack of success, Peter began mimicking him by fiddling with his phone, without luck. ‘I hope El doesn’t worry too much’ he commented.

‘Or that Sara doesn't go into labour’ Neal added wryly.

‘I’m sure she’s fine; El will keep an eye on her.’

Neal raised an eyebrow in response; Peter was right, at least Sara wasn't alone.

‘So...’ Peter said, trying his best not to sound disingenuous. ‘What did you end up doing on your day off?’

When Neal had been sent on his way that morning, he’d been bemoaning the state of his relationship with Sara, lamenting to Peter that his girlfriend was considering moving back to her apartment against his strenuous objections. He’d opened up about how he was feeling and he’d even mentioned that, over the last few weeks, he’d been mulling over the possibility of taking his relationship with Sara to the next level.

As he sat there across from him, stuck in an elevator of all places, Peter thought Neal was looking a lot more settled than he had that morning.

Neal got a goofy smile on his face. ‘I did a lot of thinking and a lot of walking.’

‘Oh, yeah? Did your little stroll take you anywhere near Perrywinkles, by any chance?’ Peter asked with a gleam in his eye.

Neal’s confession that morning that he’d begun to think about popping the question had been on Peter’s mind all day. Neal wasn't exactly white picket fence material but nobody could deny the immense change that had come over the ex-con over the past few months. Peter had been seeing incremental changes for years - Neal’s rehabilitation was a work in progress after all - and his progress had been happening in fits and starts. But the last few months, Neal had been totally focussed on Sara’s belly and the treasure lying within: his beautiful baby daughter. Except for a few minor lapses, Peter had noticed that his CI was managing to control his impulses and stay out of trouble.

‘As a matter of fact...’ Neal said with a naughty smile. ‘...it did.’

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, velvet box and began fiddling with it as Peter’s eyes grew in surprise. He slid over a little closer to his CI, his eyes sparkling as he stared down at Neal’s hands.

‘You didn’t!’ he said with a bright smile.

Neal’s eyes returned to the box and he slowly opened it as Peter let out a gasp.

‘Wow! That is some ring!’ he exclaimed, impressed.

‘Sara loves emeralds...’ Neal mused with an uncharacteristically shy shrug. ‘I thought she’d like this.’

‘What woman in her right mind wouldn’t?’ Peter commented, staring at the ring, a gorgeous round brilliant cut emerald with two smaller diamonds on either side. ‘What is that, 2 carats?’

Neal seemed embarrassed about discussing the pecuniary value of the ring; all he wanted was to make Sara happy, the size and monetary value of the ring were secondary to him.

‘The emerald is two carats, the two diamonds are about a carat each’ he mumbled as Peter’s eyes grew.

‘You didn't buy that on your CI stipend’ he commented as Neal rolled his eyes.

‘I had some... savings’ he said cryptically as Peter nodded knowingly; he could only well imagine what kind of savings Neal was referring to.

‘So, you’re really doing this, then?’ Peter said, scooting back to the spot he’d been sitting in, kitty corner to where Neal sat, still staring at the ring in his hands.

‘Yeah... yeah’ he murmured from far away somewhere.

He finally put the ring back on its little pillow and closed the box, holding it tightly in his hand. ‘I love her, Peter.’

Peter seemed to relax, momentarily setting aside any curiosity about what money Neal used to purchase the gorgeous ring. It wasn't often he saw such genuine, unadulterated emotion in his CI’s eyes and he took a moment to study Neal, stripped of all pretence or artifice, a rare sight indeed.

‘She’s something else, that’s for sure’ Peter agreed as he thought of the woman who, against all odds, had stolen Neal’s heart. She was a force to be reckoned with, not unlike his own wife. It seemed that both he and Neal weren’t intimidated by strong, intelligent, beautiful women.

‘You have no idea’ Neal replied, his voice quiet.

‘So, when are you planning to pop the question?’

‘I’m not sure. I was hoping she’d come back to my place tonight after dinner but... when I talked to her earlier she said she wanted to go back to her apartment tonight and give us a little bit of space.’

‘What do you think has brought all this on?’ Peter asked.

Neal shook his head; he’d been asking himself that all day. Why, all of a sudden, was she having doubts about his commitment to her and the baby.

‘Maybe it’s just... hormones, you know last minute jitters about giving birth. I’m not really sure why all of a sudden she’s having doubts’ Neal mused. ‘She says that we just fell into our living arrangement by accident and that we never made a conscious decision to live together. I tried to tell her that for me, it was a no-brainer but... I guess I should have been more... unequivocal about how I feel about her.’

Peter watched as Neal’s face grew sad and he let his gaze fall to a spot between his feet on the floor, the ring box still firmly in his grasp. He couldn't help feeling sorry for him; it had  
been a long road and Neal had come such a long way, all in an effort to be worthy of becoming this little baby's father. Now, he was poised to add husband to his pedigree, something Peter found jarring to say the least.

‘That ring’s pretty... unequivocal’ Peter stated as Neal nodded and exhaled loudly.

Peter could see a flurry of emotions in the younger man’s eyes. ‘What about you? Are you sure about this, Neal?’

Neal scoffed. ‘No’ he chuckled. ‘I’m terrified...’

His eyes came up, and he looked Peter straight in the eye, his gaze painfully honest. ‘But I’m crazy in love with her and I can’t imagine my life without her and the baby. She... she’s everything I never knew I wanted, Peter. She’s smart and funny and warm and sexy and full of life and... well, she doesn't let me get away with anything.’

Peter listened intently; except for a couple of situations where he felt Sara had been lacking in judgement and had gotten caught up in Neal’s scatterbrain schemes, she’d been a good, stabilizing influence in his life, forcing him to take the time to think before he stepped in it, his usual MO.

‘I have to admit I haven't felt the need to keep as close an eye on you since she moved in. You’re turning into a regular boy scout’ Peter commented.

Neal scoffed. ‘I hope not!’ he chuckled.

‘Well, I’m happy for you, Neal. You deserve to be happy. Think about it, in a little over a year, if you keep this up, you’ll be released. No more anklet, no more handler, no more DOJ breathing down your neck.’

Neal let out a long, slow sigh. ‘Right now, a year feels like forever.’

‘It isn’t, buddy, you’ll see’ Peter reassured him. ‘It’ll be over before you know it. In the meantime, your baby daughter is about to be born... and apparently, you have a wedding to plan.’

Neal’s face clouded with worry. ‘If Sara says yes...’ he muttered, fingers fidgeting with the velvet box in his hands.

‘She will’ Peter said reassuringly.

‘You sound pretty sure of yourself. What if she’s not so keen on marrying an ex-con’ Neal mused.

‘Are you kidding? I’ve seen the way she looks at you when you’re not looking. She’s crazy about you, Neal.’

‘I hope you’re right’ Neal murmured, his eyes narrowing. ‘I... I hate to imagine what my life would be like without her.’

Peter studied Neal’s demeanour, a mix of raw emotion and apprehension. At first glance, Neal Caffrey looked like he lived a charmed life. It seemed that no matter what trouble he got himself into, he always landed on his feet — with that annoying ever-present sneer on his lips. Since their paths had crossed all those years ago, Peter had been envious of his young CI on more than one occasion, admiring Neal’s uncanny ability to blend in, to insinuate himself into the lives of his marks with his great looks and devilish charm. It was an incredible if not devious skill set and yet, from the very first time Peter had laid eyes on him, he’d been able to see past it, straight into the young man’s troubled soul.

It hadn't taken long for the agent to understand that, under the veneer of bluster and bravado, this caring, complicated man was hiding a great deal of pain and suffering. From his early youth, Neal had been forced to deal with rejection, first, with his father’s cruel betrayal and later, his mother’s inability to be the loving, caring parent he so desperately needed. He’d floated his whole life from place to place, from relationship to relationship, never letting himself get truly invested in anything or anyone and making sure he always had an exit plan, leaving behind the collateral damage of those who’d fallen for his charm. But the truth was, Neal’s gentle heart and loving soul had also been a casualty of his gypsy lifestyle and Peter had made it his mission to keep him from falling prey to the consequences of his foolish, misguided decisions.Seeing him now, expressing true, genuine emotions, he realized that all he wanted was what was best for Neal.

His eyes returned to the little blue box Neal was still nervously fiddling with. It was the symbol of real change in Neal's life and he deserved to grab the brass ring and be happy.

‘So...’ Peter said with a gentle smile, ‘...how are you planning on popping the question?’

Neal’s eyes brightened; obviously, he’d already given it some thought. He shifted his body, turning towards Peter as he spoke, his tone growing animated.

‘Well, I was thinking if I can get her over to my place for dinner tomorrow night, I’m going to order the same exact thing we had the night we had dinner on the roof of the FBI. In hindsight, I kind of think of that night as our first date, even though neither one of us knewit at the time.’

Peter frowned; he didn't remember any dinner date they’d had, least of all on the roof of the FBI.

‘The roof of the FBI?’ he repeated.

‘Yeah, during the Halbridge case’ Neal explained. ‘She was going stir crazy inside our offices and I took her up to the roof to have dinner. Igot some glasses and stuff out of the evidence room and set us up with some wine and some food from the Chinese place down the street.’

Peter rolled his eyes; he’d taken his eye off the ball for one minute and Neal had swept in and seized a witness who was in protective custody, a total breach of protocol to say nothing of putting her safety at risk at a time when Peter was responsible for keeping her out of harm’s way.

‘What?’ he shouted. ‘Neal, what the hell were you thinking?’

‘What do you mean?’ Neal replied, feigning innocence.

‘She was in protective custody for crying out loud. I could only guarantee her safety within the walls of the FBI!’ he shouted, his voice much too loud for their confined space.

‘Peter, you’re really taking the romance out of this’ Neal said, his arms up in the air in a sign of defeat.

‘Fine, fine’ Peter grumbled. It was too late to do anything about his CI’s lack of judgement; just add it to the long list of things Neal had done behind his handler’s back.

‘It was just dinner and I wanted to make her feel better’ Neal protested.

Peter gave him a wary look; he wasn't buying a word of it.

Neal cracked immediately. ‘Okay, okay, I admit it. I was trying to get on her good side so I could get my hands on that FAA envelope’ he finally admitted as Peter shook his head in despair.

‘But the joke was on me’ Neal added with a wistful smile. ‘Because I started falling for her that night...’

His face grew excited and he pulled out an envelope from his pocket. ‘And get this’ he said, pulling a tiny piece of paper out and bringing it up to Peter’s eye level.‘The guy from the Chinese food place is going to plant this inside a fortune cookie for me.'

Peter squinted to read the small print, smiling as he recognized the four little words with the all-important question.

‘Romantic...’ he admitted with a smile - as if a proposal from Neal Caffrey could be anything but.

Neal tucked the paper back in his pocket and stretched his legs. ‘You never told me... how did you propose to Elizabeth?’ 

Peter ignored the question and got back on his feet. He began to tinker with his cell phone, trying in vain to get a signal.

‘Peter? Why do I have a feeling you’re avoiding the subject?’ Neal asked as he studied his handler's face.

Suddenly, all kinds of scenarios began whirling around in his mind; after all, Peter Burke wasn't world renowned for his charm and charisma. In fact, it was a wonder Elizabeth put up with his lack of sentimentality. Surely, there was a good story hiding under his reluctance to come clean.

‘Come on, Peter, what happened? Don’t tell me Elizabeth beat you to the punch’ Neal said in jest.

He could see the look of discomfort in Peter’s eyes despite the dim light shining down on them, casting shadows on their faces.

‘You’re kidding!’ Neal said with a loud laugh which resonated in the quiet space.

Peter settled back down and stretched his legs. ‘It wasn’t like that’ he began. ‘Well, not exactly.’

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

It took but a few minutes for Elizabeth Burke to take the appetizers out of the oven and plate them — apparently, just enough time for Sara Ellis to sink into the Burkes’ comfy couch and fall into a blissful sleep. When Elizabeth returned to the living room with the plateful of goodies, she found her friend curled up on her side, her large belly tucked into her body, her hair covering her face and a soft but insistent snore escaping her relaxed lips.

El placed the platter of food on the dining room table and made her way over to the couch, reaching for the warm, woolen throw her mom had knitted for her and proceeding to cover the mom-to-be as she gazed down at her fondly.

Sara looked peaceful for the first time since she’d arrived and Elizabeth was relieved that the mom-to-be was finally getting some well-needed rest. Nobody could deny that the woman was high strung by nature, quick to express both joy and anger but since she’d gotten pregnant, she’d been particularly prickly and her fuse was shorter than ever. El admired Neal’s patience in dealing with his girlfriend’s constant mood swings and more often that not, his charm and self-restraint had kept things from escalating beyond the point of no return. It was obvious to anyone with two eyes that Neal loved this woman to bits and that he was willing to cut her a lot of slack while she prepared to bring their baby daughter into the world.

El tiptoed back to the kitchen, reaching into the refrigerator for the nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc she’d planned on serving with dinner and she poured herself a nice generous glass, sighing as she perched herself on a kitchen stool. She was about to head over to the computer to check her work emails when Satchmo let out a plaintive whine and popped his head up from where he lay in the nearby living room.

‘What is it, boy?’ she asked, as the dog stood from the spot where he’d been snoozing and began to madly wag his tail, heading towards the front door of the house.

‘It can’t be your daddy. Not yet, anyway’ El murmured as she got to her feet in order to investigate the sounds Satchmo was reacting to.

By the time she got to the front door, she could see a shadowy figure lurking outside, head covered with a large brimmed hat, ostensibly to protect its owner from the punishing rain. She stepped out into the vestibule, craning her neck and recognizing Mozzie’s bespectacled face just as she opened the door.

‘Moz, what are you doing out in this weather?’ she asked as she ushered him in.

WCWCWC

Neal raised his eyebrows in expectation as he waited for Peter to tell the tale of his proposal to Elizabeth; any embarrassing story that gave him ammunition against Peter Burke was sure to be a good one.Peter looked over towards Neal, feeling like a kid whose duplicity had been discovered. He could see he wasn't going to get away with fudging the story, after all, Neal had the uncanny ability of seeing right through him. He summoned up the sternest look he could - even though he knew it would have absolutely no effect on Neal.

‘You never repeat this to anybody, do you hear me?’ he warned, shaking his finger.

Neal nodded enthusiastically, more than eager to agree to anything in order get the goods. ‘Hey, what happens in the elevator stays in the elevator’ he reassured his handler with a decisive head nod.

Peter waited another few seconds, debating whether or not he was prepared to share a story Neal could lord over him for years to come.

‘I got us this great table at our favourite Italian restaurant...’ he began as Neal leaned in to listen.

‘Donatella’s’ Neal added eagerly. He’d heard Peter rave about their Italian cuisine for years now - not that he would ever stoop to frequenting such a mundane establishment.

Peter saw the slight look of disdain on Neal’s face. ‘Don’t knock it, they have the best lasagna in town.’

Neal gesticulated, bringing his arms up in a forward motion, indicating it was time to move on with the gist of the story.‘The proposal, Peter’ he said impatiently.

Peter sighed loudly. ‘I got us a nice bottle of wine, you know a nice Chianti in a fiasco’ Peter confided with a look of pride. ‘That’s the kind of wine bottle that’s ina straw basket.’

Neal tried to stifle a laugh - again, not his cup of tea. ‘Oh, I know what a fiasco is, Peter’ he said, unimpressed with Peter’s pedestrian taste in wine.

‘Anyway, I’d been carrying the ring in my jacket pocket for about a week, everywhere we went, waiting for just the right moment to spring it on her. We ordered dinner but the place was getting pretty busy and I was starting to lose my nerve.’

Neal listened, amused by the story. He could visualize the scene as Peter described it, the look of sheer panic on his face, El looking lovely and self-assured as she waited patiently for him to cowboy up and finally spring the question.

Peter looked away, obviously embarrassed. He let out a long sigh before continuing.‘We had just ordered dessert and El piped up and pointed to my jacket pocket which I guess had a big bulge sticking out.’

‘She didn't ask if you were being happy to see her, did she?’ Neal said, unable to stop himself from teasing his partner.

Peter gave Neal a dirty look. ‘NO!’ he said. ‘Of course not. She just pointed to it and said... ‘is that thing for me?’

‘You’re kidding!’ Neal laughed as Peter scowled at him.

‘I knew I shouldn't have told you!’

‘Peter, come on. Your secret is safe with me, I promise’ Neal said with his conman grin. ‘Then what happened?’

Peter looked around the small space, as if checking to make sure no one else was listening. ‘She got down on one knee and... in front of the whole restaurant, she asked me if I’d marry her.’

‘Ouch!’ Neal said with a loud snort.

Now that the embarrassing anecdote had been shared, Peter couldn't help laughing along; after all, he was describing something that had happened over a dozen years before and had been all but forgotten - except when El was trying to make a point. If his little confession could help Neal better cope with what was happening in his own life, it was worth the momentary embarrassment.

‘So, you may want to get in there fast before Sara decides to ask you’ Peter advised, returning to Neal’s plans for a romantic proposal.

Neal’s face grew serious. ‘I don't know. What if she turns me down?’

‘Believe me, Neal. She’s not going to turn you down’ Peter said reassuringly.

‘Hello?’ came a disembodied voice - the same voice they’d heard earlier.

Neal got to his feet, followed by Peter and he leaned in to talk into the speaker. ‘We’re here’ he told the emergency operator.

‘I wanted to let you know that they’re hoping to get the power back on within the next hour. Are you two all right for now?’

‘Fine’ Peter grumbled, none too pleased at the news. ‘We’re not getting any cell phone service, is there any way you can get in touch with my wife and let her know what’s going on?’

‘Sure’ the woman replied as she took down Peter’s phone number. ‘Sit tight.’ 

Neal and Peter stared at each other, the same thought crossing their minds. It was one thing to amuse themselves while they waited to be rescued but having their private conversation overheard when they thought they were just the two of them... well, that was not so cool.

Peter was the first to say what they’d both been thinking. ‘You don’t think she heard all that, do you?’

WCWCWC

‘So what’s up with little Miss Repo? Did she run out of steam?’ Mozzie whispered as Elizabeth motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

‘She’s exhausted’ El explained, reaching into the cupboard for another glass and pouring her unexpected guest some of the fine wine. ‘She spent last night at the hospital.’

Mozzie frowned as he listened. He loved to make a show of how disruptive Sara’s presence was in his and Neal’s life but the truth was he was beginning to grow somewhat fond of the woman who was about to give birth to his best friend’s baby girl. Certainly, he didn't wish her any harm.

Over the past year, he and Sara had developed an unholy alliance with Mozzie ratting out some of his least favourite fences as a means of revenge and Sara recovering some long lost merchandise that was on Sterling Bosch’s watch list. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement but Mozzie was well aware that he was playing a very dangerous game and he quite enjoyed making Sara jump through some hoops in order for her to get her hands on those coveted treasures.

‘Why was she at the hospital?’ he asked, his annoyance morphing into concern.

‘Neal brought her in because she was having contractions’ El replied with a hand gesture, urging Mozzie to keep his voice down.

He glanced towards the living room; Sara was still sound asleep, the snoring growing louder as her sleep deepened.

‘She sounds like a freight train’ he commented as Elizabeth gave him the evil eye. ‘Frankly, I don’t see the attraction, I really don’t know how Neal puts up with it.’

‘Be kind!’ she reminded him as he scoffed.

He took a large sip of his wine. ‘She’s turned Neal’s life upside down’ he stated unequivocally, tipping his hand as to the real reason for his annoyance.

‘Mozzie!’ Elizabeth barked back. ‘Sara didn't get pregnant by herself.’

The man scowled and looked away. Neal’s work with the FBI had put a definite crimp in their off-track adventures but now that Sara was staying at Neal’s, the ex-con seemed to be vying for the title of poster boy for reform and Mozzie was none too pleased about it.

‘You know, our lives were perfectly fine without this little... detour. I knew from the moment I found that pregnancy test in the trashcan in Neal’s bathroom that he could never walk away from his own flesh and blood.’

‘As well he shouldn’t’ Elizabeth reminded the man.

Mozzie took a long sip of wine and continued brooding, one of his favourite activities when it came to Neal and his love life.

As if his words had just sunk in, Elizabeth looked at him with a scowl. ‘Wait a minute, what do you mean, you found the pregnancy test?’ she asked, leaning in for some juicy details.

Truth be told, she and Mozzie were two peas in a pod, both busybodies who, although fiercely loyal to those they cared about, were always on the lookout for a little intrigue and drama.

‘When she first found out...’ he explained, knowing El wouldn’t judge him for snooping. ‘She should have know better than to take the test at Neal’s place.’

‘Well, she _is_ living there, Moz’ El reasoned with an eyebrow wag. ‘Where else is she supposed to take it? In the executive washroom at Sterling Bosch?’

Mozzie seemed to concede the point. ‘To her credit, she had hidden it in the very bottom of the trashcan but you know I do a thorough check of Neal’s apartment every week for hidden bugs and... well, just because...’

Because you’re obsessed with Neal and you live vicariously through him and you need to know every single detail about his life Elizabeth reflected although what came out of her mouth was considerably less confrontational.

‘Oh’ she said.

‘You can never be too careful and those Feds are always around, snooping’ Mozzie said with a frown. ‘Who’s looking out for Neal if I don’t do it?’

There was a soft moan from the living room and the two co-conspirators glanced over as Sara resumed snoring.

‘Well... now I’m worried Neal’s going to do something even more stupid than knocking her up’ Mozzie whined.

‘More stupid?’

He glanced into the living room to make sure Sara was still sound asleep. One look at her parted lips and the drool collecting in the corner of her mouth was enough to convince him.

‘He asked me to liquidate some of his assets’ he said with a scowl. ‘I think he’s preparing to ask her to shack up with him permanently’ he whispered.

Elizabeth’s ears perked up; she was always up for some good gossip. ‘Really? What makes you say that?’

Mozzie sighed loudly and took another fortifying sip before speaking. ‘I was going through Neal’s history on the computer...’ he began as El gave him a loud tsk and a stern look of judgement.

‘Oh, you should talk! As if you’re not constantly monitoring the Suit’s phone’ he said accusingly. ‘Anyway, Neal knows better, I taught him better... but since she’s been around...’ he said with disdain, ‘... he’s gotten sloppy.’

‘So, what did you find out?’ El asked, unable to keep herself from asking.

Mozzie gave one last glance over his shoulder towards Sleeping Beauty before replying, his voice a mere whisper. ‘He’s been checking out rings online.’

Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. ‘You mean, engagement rings?’ she asked, growing excited at the prospect.

‘No, boxing rings’ Mozzie replied with an eye roll. ‘Of course, engagement rings.’

‘Oh my God, I had no idea Neal was thinking of asking her to marry him!’

A large snorting sound was heard coming from the direction of the couch and the two busybodies looked over, fearful they had awakened the mother-to-be. Sara rolled over on her back, throwing her hand over her forehead as she readjusted on the couch and the snoring resumed, louder still.

The two friends looked at each other guiltily.

‘Oh, honey that’s wonderful news!’ Elizabeth exclaimed.

‘For you, maybe. You’re an event planner... they’ll probably ask you to organize the wedding’ Mozzie said, moping. ‘But I’m losing my partner... the best partner I ever had.’

‘Come on, Moz’ Elizabeth said, touching his hand. ‘Don’t tell me there’s not a small part of you that’s happy for Neal and Sara. They’re about to have a baby, they deserve to be happy.’

Mozzie shook his head and looked into his wine glass, not quite ready to concede the point.

‘I haven't decided’ he quipped just as the phone rang, its shrill sound loud enough to wake the dead.

WCWCWC

Neal Caffrey was a restless guy at the best of times. Locking him up in a nine by nine room with no escape route was reminiscent of his earlier incarcerations and, within fifteen minutes of being cooped up in the elevator, he was fit to be tied. He began to pace in the small space, stepping over Peter’s outstretched legs every three steps only to return to his starting point.

‘Will you please sit down, pacing isn't going to change anything’ Peter reminded him.

Neal ran his hands through his hair and tugged at his tie, loosening it before letting himself fall in the spot he’d been occupying previously. Peter could tell by the look in his eyes that he was bored out of his mind, not unlike a four-year-old who was being forced to sit through a long, tedious funeral.

‘I’ve got an idea’ Neal sighed, pulling a coin out of his pocket. ‘Heads, you ask me something you want to know about me and tails, I get to ask you.’

‘ _Anything_ I want to know?’

‘That depends...’ Neal said, hedging his bets.

‘Like I said that night we stayed up to talk about Adler - if you didn't kill anyone...’ Peter began.

‘Which you already know I haven’t' Neal interrupted.

‘...if you didn't kill anyone’ Peter resumed. ‘I’m prepared to get selective amnesia about anything you tell me until they break us out of here.’

Neal wagged his eyebrows. Peter already knew a fair bit about his past crimes but it was always fun to shock and awe his handler with some of his more daring exploits - most of which Neal was rather proud of and welcomed the opportunity to brag about.

‘Okay’ he agreed with a naughty grin.

Peter watched Neal fiddling with the coin and preparing to toss it up towards the ceiling and he reached over, catching it in mid-air.

‘Oh no you don’t, I’ll do the tossing’ he said in that _I wouldn't trust you if you were the last man on earth_ tone he got whenever Neal was around.

‘Peter...’ Neal moaned, pretending to be offended. ‘You wound me.’

The coin landed on Peter’s hand, heads up and he gave Neal a look of pure vindication.

‘All right’ he said, rubbing his hands together as he prepared to delve into Neal’s past indiscretions. He gave it a second or two, as if he was preparing to ask a genie to grant his three most precious wishes and didn't want to waste the opportunity.He finally settled on a question.

‘What was the craziest thing you ever stole?’

Neal frowned. ‘The craziest?’ he repeated as Peter nodded.

‘Not the most expensive?’ Neal clarified.

‘That’ll be my next question’ Peter said, eyebrow raised.

‘Craziest...’ Neal repeated under his breath as he let his mind wander back to the past. He’d done some pretty crazy things in his life, taken lots of unnecessary chances, mostly in his quest to impress the lovely Kate Moreau and give her everything her little heart desired — and even things she hadn't known she’d wanted.

‘You mean there’s more than one crazy thing?’ Peter asked, pushing for an answer to his question. Neal shot him a look of annoyance; the question required some thought, after all.

‘What?’ he blurted out in response to Peter’s persistent glare of impatience. ‘You got somewhere else you’ve got to be?’

Peter settled down to wait; they had... well, maybe not all night but plenty of time.

‘Kate loved the classics, especially movies’ Neal began, his voice tentative. ‘And after the whole thing with Adler... well, I was doing everything I could to make her feel better. One night, we were watching her favourite movie, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and I could see her eyes sparkling during that dance sequence... you know the one I mean.’

‘With that guy dancing around the puddles with his umbrella?’ Peter asked for clarification.

‘That _guy_ happens to be Gene Kelly, Peter, one of the finest dancers this country has ever known’ Neal said with a touch of scorn. ‘I found out that some of the props from the movie were being stored at the MGM lot and Mozzie and I snuck in and we stole the lamppost from that scene, you know the one that Gene Kelly swings on during his dance number.’

‘How did you sneak in?’ Peter asked, as always curious as to the inner workings of Neal’s brilliant, albeit criminal mind.

Neal grinned devilishly, only too happy to provide details about what he considered an epic heist. ‘You’d be surprised how slack the security is on those lots. All they needed was the insinuation that I was starring in a remake of the movie and Moz was directing and we were invited in to take a look around. Of course, the beret helped...’

Peter had always been fascinated by Neal’s brashness and audacity - his ability to blend in and manipulate those around him to do his bidding for him; it seemed that characteristic was present in this situation as in so many others.

‘Were you living out on the west coast at the time?’

‘No, we were living here, in the Village. Moz and I flew out, stole the thing, disassembled it - which was no small feat by the way’ he bragged. ‘We had it flown back here and then, I rebuilt it and set it up in our apartment.’

Neal’s eyes sparkled as he spoke and Peter couldn't help but envy the enthusiasm and excitement that was apparent in his faraway gaze.

‘You should have seen Kate’s face when she came home and saw it in the middle of our living room’ Neal added with a proud smile.

‘You’re telling me you spent hundreds of dollars, flying across the country and more resources to get a lamppost back here because your girlfriend liked the movie?’ Peter said, incredulous.

‘Yeah’ Neal said with pride. ‘It wasn't just a movie Peter and we almost got caught too. What a rush!’ he said with that gleam in his eye Peter knew all too well.

‘Well, what’s it worth?’

‘I don’t know!’ Neal exclaimed with a look of disdain. ‘Peter, it’s not about money, it was about making Kate happy.’

Peter shook his head in dismay; as long as he lived, he would never be able to figure this guy out.

‘So, where is it now?’ he asked as Neal pretended not to hear him and put out his hand for the coin.

‘My turn’ he declared, unwilling to disclose any more about the unusual heist.

‘Fine, don’t tell me’ Peter said reluctantly handing over the coin which, without surprise, landed on tails. Neal’s eyes brightened as he bit his lip, thinking carefully before asking his question of Peter.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

‘Well, thank you for calling and letting us know’ Elizabeth said into the phone as she stood in the Burke kitchen.

She hung up and turned towards Mozzie, watching as he nibbled on a cheese puff.

‘There’s cheese in that, Moz’ she reminded him with a finger wag.

He looked up at her, miserable. ‘I don’t care... I’m stress eating’ he declared with a pout.

‘Fine, you’re the one who’s going to have to put up with the bloating and stomach cramps’ she warned.

She reached for the bottle of wine and emptied it into Mozzie’s glass. ‘Why don’t you have one of those spicy tuna bites instead, they’re really good — and they’re lactose free.’

‘Because I _want_ to suffer’ he replied petulantly. ‘So, what’s happening? Who was that on the phone?’

‘Apparently, Peter and Neal are stuck in an elevator in the Federal Building’ she explained with a sigh.

‘What do you mean, stuck?’

‘Stuck. I mean stuck. That was emergency services. They said the ice storm has caused power outages downtown and the two of them are sitting in one of the elevators waiting for the power to come back on. They figure it’ll be at least another hour before they can get them out.’

She watched Mozzie drain his glass and she walked over to the fridge, pulling out a second bottle of wine and making a detour to peek out the back door. The rain was still coming down in sheets although the sound of ice pellets could no longer be heard pounding the side of the house. Apparently, the temperature had gone up a few degrees and the freezing drizzle had morphed into plain rain, coming down relentlessly on the icy surface of the backyard patio and making it glisten under the newly rising moon.

‘I think it’s warming up a little —’ she began.

‘What’s going on?’ came a sleepy voice from behind Mozzie.

Both Mozzie and Elizabeth startled at the sight of Sara, standing there looking like death warmed over. The pretty teal coloured dress she was wearing was wrinkled on the left side of her body, from the armpit all the way down to the edge of the hem and she tugged at it self-consciously as it rose up above her protruding belly. She stood barefoot, her hair hanging in her face barely covering the rather unbecoming racoon eyes which had sprung on her cheeks.

‘You’re up!’ El said as she hurried around the kitchen island to join her friend. ‘How was your nap?’

‘I think I’m dreaming’ Sara moaned, eyes bleary as she pointed to the man sitting at the counter. ‘I’m seeing Mozzie sitting there.’

Elizabeth chuckled. ‘Come on, have a seat. I’ll get you something to drink.’

Sara stared back, still barely awake. ‘I have to pee... again’ she announced unabashedly as Mozzie looked away, uncomfortable with her declaration.

El took her arm, escorting her to the staircase and watching her climb up slowly, painfully.Back in the kitchen, Mozzie continued to sulk, popping yet another cheese puff into his mouth as he continued with his plaintive monologue.

‘I’m telling you, things are never going to be the same again’ he moaned as El walked by and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

‘Come on, Moz. There are worse things in this world than Sara and Neal getting married’ she said in an attempt to get him to stop whining.

‘You realize this is only the beginning’ he continued, barely taking a breath. ‘Soon, there’s going to be a little rugrat running around and now that Neal and little Miss Repo have started multiplying, it’s anybody’s guess when they’re going to stop. Neal’s always been an overachiever; there could be a whole army of little Saneals running around before we know it.’

‘Saneals?’ El repeated with a frown. ‘Really, Mozzie?’

‘What? It took me a long time to come up with that one’ he moaned as she chuckled.

‘Well, I for one am _thrilled_ about this baby. I can’t wait to see her little face. With parents like Neal and Sara, she’s bound to be beautiful’ El said with a glint in her eye.

‘You’d think so but you’d be surprised. I’ve seen plenty of ugly kids come from strikingly beautiful people. It’s a thing’ he announced with authority.

‘Mozzie! Stop being so negative. She’s going to be beautiful and smart just like her parents and you will learn to love her, I can promise you that.’

‘You know El, I don't even know who Neal is anymore. Next thing you know, he’ll be sitting in a stinky gym watching six-year-olds chasing a ball up and down the court or... worse yet, at a ballet recital surrounded by a bunch of little girls in pink tutus. Oh, and then he’ll want to join the PTA or the neighbourhood watch association of some suburb where all the houses are the same boring beige’ he said, his voice growing louder.

He stood, gesticulating wildly. ‘And that’s the best case scenario’ he shouted.

‘Moz! Would you please keep your voice down. Sara’s right upstairs. She’s pregnant, not deaf!’

Mozzie let out a loud burp in defiance and reached over for another cheese puff, popping it into his mouth.

‘Sorry’ he muttered.

WCWCWC

Neal sat in the cramped space, eyes narrowing as he tried to formulate his question for Peter. As much as the CI remained an enigma in the eyes of his handler, the opposite was also true. Lately, Neal had been flirting more and more with life on the law and order side of the equation but it wasn't always easy to keep from getting distracted by all those shiny objects or to keep from giving in to Mozzie’s constant nattering about their next big score.

Staying focussed was tough and he couldn't help wondering what motivated a smart guy like Peter Burke to remain resolutely on the ‘law’ side of the law and order divide without ever faltering.

‘What made you want to join the Bureau in the first place?’ he finally asked, weighing his words carefully.

Peter stared at his CI, surprised by the question; rather tame by Neal Caffrey's standards.

‘That’s your question? That’s what you want to know?’ 

‘Yeah, I know how I fell into the mess I got myself into and I want to know what makes a guy like you decide to go into law enforcement.’

Peter thought back to the discussion he’d recently had with Neal as they’d sat having lunch at a picnic table during his brief banishment to the evidence lock up. Neal had confessed that at the tender age of three, he and his mom had been placed in witness protection following his dad’s fall from grace. Peter had begun to wonder if Neal’s little foray over to the dark side hadn't been some sort of rebellion against the crooked cop that was his dad or perhaps a way of fulfilling the prophecy that blood was thicker than water. Whatever the reason, he’d spent almost four years trying to figure out the younger man and trying to convince him that he could walk away from a life of crime and become a better man for it — if that’s what he wanted.

‘Growing up, I used to love cop shows’ Peter began by way of explanation. ‘My friends and I used to play cops and robbers and one of my uncles was an officer with the state police. He showed me his gun once and I became fascinated with the whole idea of catching bad guys.’

‘So what you’re telling me is that you became an FBI agent so you could play with guns?’ Neal asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

Peter gave him a dirty look. ‘Of course not’ he replied sternly. ‘Well not _just_ that’ he added as Neal chuckled.

‘I don’t know... I’ve always had this deep seated sense of right and wrong, you know. This need to... restore balance and order in the world. People shouldn't get away with doing stuff that’s wrong, it upsets that balance.’

Neal listened, fascinated by Peter’s black and white view of the world. After his difficult childhood in WITSEC, he’d developed a rather more nuanced outlook on life, based on two basic principles: life had screwed him over as a kid and shiny things made him happy. As long as he didn't hurt anyone, it wasn't really wrong to take something that didn't belong to him if it made him or someone he loved happy. Of course, Neal was a smart guy and fully aware that this was a rather simplistic view of life but the con was a rush and like an alcoholic or a drug addict, whenever he took something that wasn't his, it made him feel good... at least for a while until he got the itch again.

‘I grew up with a strong work ethic and it just seemed like a good way to serve my fellow man’ Peter said, his voice quiet.

Neal studied his handler’s face as he spoke; Peter’s earnestness and sheer sincerity continued to mystify him. He was like a boy scout in a bad Brooks Brothers suit and to his surprise, Neal was finding that, as time went on, what mattered most of all was that he not disappoint Peter and that he make him proud. Peter had taken a chance on him and even though, in the beginning, he’d been scamming the FBI agent in order to get early release, their collaboration had evolved in ways he could never have foreseen.

Until recently, Neal had never really done anything in the service of others; he was more of a looking out for number one kind of guy. But the more he got to know Peter, Elizabeth, Diana, Jones, June and now Sara, the more he took their welfare to heart, placing it above his own. His actions weren’t always lawful but more and more, his intentions were selfless, intent on doing right by those he cared about despite his continued struggle with the blurred lines between right and wrong.

Now with Sara pregnant, his focus had totally shifted to her and their soon-to-be-born baby daughter. Those shiny objects weren’t quite so appealing anymore and with each passing day, it became easier for him to stay on the right path and keep from getting distracted.

‘Neal’ Peter said, pulling him out of his reverie. ‘You know, you’ve got those same instincts, the desire to do what’s in everybody else’s best interest.’

‘What?’ Neal said with a self-deprecating smile. ‘Naw, I don’t have that sense of duty you have.’

‘Of course you do’ Peter reminded him. ‘What do you think you did during the Lindsay Gless case? You put your life on the line for that girl.’

Neal shrugged in response. ‘I... I owed Stuart Gless that much’ he mumbled.

‘And what about Scott Rivers?’ Peter continued.

‘You mean the guy I illegally hid at my place while you searched all over New York for him?’ Neal asked with a frown.

Peter shook his head. Neal was always way too hard on himself.

‘You’re the one who brought him in in the end and more importantly, you’re helping him turn his life around.’

‘I wouldn't say he’s out of the woods yet...’ Neal scoffed with a head shake.

‘I hear you visit him regularly... in prison’ Peter said, his voice quiet.

Neal looked up, eyes wide; he hadn't told anyone but Sara about his monthly visits to check on the young man.

‘How did you know?'

Peter’s gaze slid down to stare at Neal’s anklet, eyebrows raised. ‘I don’t track your comings and goings as much as I used to but I do check...’ 

Neal looked down, seemingly embarrassed about his not so discreet attempts at helping the young con-man. Scott reminded him a lot of himself, a lost soul who was struggling to fit into the world, hanging dangerously close to the edge of the cliff and staring down into the abyss of criminality.

Neal spoke, his voice so quiet that Peter had to lean in to hear. ‘After Kate stopped coming to see me in prison...’ he began, ‘I didn't have anybody from the outside to hang on to. Sure, Mozzie was out there somewhere but... prison visits were never really his thing.’

Peter’s face grew sad as he listened. Peeking behind Neal’s mask of arrogance and over-confidence was a reminder that he’d done the right thing giving Neal the chance to purge the rest of his sentence on the outside.

‘I just figure that if Scott stays connected with the outside world, it might be easier for him when he’s finally released’ Neal said thoughtfully.

Peter studied him for a moment; Neal was a unique and contradictory blend of self-doubt and arrogance. ‘Why is it so hard for you to admit you have a good heart?’

Neal got one of his devilish smiles, grinning naughtily, his mask now firmly in place. ‘Come on, Peter, you’re on my case several times a week about me being selfish and impulsive.’

‘Impulsive, yes but... never selfish, Neal. Despite your best efforts, I know what’s underneath that cocky exterior. If I hadn't thought you were worth it, I would have just left you behind bars to finish serving your sentence.’

‘And I wouldn’t be sitting here talking about how I plan to pop the question to the mother of my child’ Neal said, getting back on his feet on the pretext that he needed to stretch his legs.

Peter watched him with interest; it always made Neal uncomfortable when someone pointed out his kind and caring nature. He figured the moment had passed; Neal was ready to move on to another topic of conversation.

‘Give me that thing’ he said, reaching out for the coin. ‘I just thought of something else I want to ask you.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Neal replied, letting himself slip down the wall.

Whether it was the weight of his body hitting the floor or just some random fluke, the elevator moved once again, dropping another few feet as the light above their heads went out once more, plunging the two men into darkness.

WCWCWC

When Sara returned from her little trip upstairs, it was as if she’d taken a detour to a beauty salon. Her hair was back to its usual well-coiffed style, her face was clean, her skin radiant and inexplicably, her dress seemed to be have been freshly pressed. El got to her feet to welcome her back, helping her join them at the kitchen counter.

‘Hey Mozzie’ Sara said. ‘I guess I didn't dream you after all.’

‘Sara...’ Mozzie said in greeting, forcing a smile.

‘How about some nice apple cider?’ Elizabeth asked, pulling a bottle out of the fridge. ‘I got it just for you.’

‘Did I dream it or did the phone ring earlier?’ Sara asked, struggling to get herself up on one of the kitchen stools. ‘Was it Peter?’

El gave Mozzie a furtive glance; she didn't want the news about the men’s unexpected and temporary confinement to upset Neal’s girlfriend in any way.

‘Actually, it was someone calling to let us know the power has gone out at the Federal Building.’

‘Someone?’ Sara repeated.

‘Yeah... apparently, when the power went off, Peter and Neal were in the elevator.'

Not surprisingly, Sara’s face grew serious. ‘What? Are they all right?’

She struggled to stand, intent on grabbing the phone to call Neal and El put her hand out to stop her.

‘Honey, their phones aren't working. The person who called was from emergency services and they’re both fine.’

‘Are you sure?’ Sara asked.

Elizabeth nodded. ‘Knowing Peter, he’s probably just pissed off’ she said. ‘And hungry.’

‘And Neal must be bored out of his gourd’ Mozzie added.

‘Here’ Elizabeth said, pushing the glass of cider closer to Sara. ‘Have a sip, it’ll do you good.’

WCWCWC

‘Whoa!’ Peter shouted as the elevator stabilized and the light came on again.

‘What the hell was that?’ Neal asked rhetorically.

Peter stood and looked around the small space. ‘Whatever it is, it seems to be over.’

‘I wonder what floor we’re on’ Neal commented as he pressed on the emergency button and waited. This time, a man’s voice came on - another anonymous public servant working the emergency phone lines.

‘Hi, we’re stuck in the elevator in the Federal Building and the elevator just had a sudden drop. What’s going on?’ Neal asked.

‘Yeah, there was a power surge that lasted a few seconds. That’s probably what caused it. Are you all right?’ the voice asked.

‘Yeah, yeah. We’re fine’ Neal replied as he looked over at his partner.

‘Any idea when this is going to be resolved?’ Peter asked, lurking behind Neal.

‘Sorry, I don’t but we’ll keep you posted’ the man said.

And just like that, he was gone again, leaving the two friends to stare at each other, mouths agape. They resumed their positions on the floor, Peter stretching out his legs and Neal curling them up against his chest.

‘So, what happened to the coin?’ he asked, noticing Peter’s empty hands.

Peter began a quick search of the floor, finding the twenty-five cent piece holding it up in victory.

‘Here we go’ he said as he gave it a quick toss, watching it flip in the air before landing on the back of his hand. He peeked and smiled and Neal rolled his eyes; maybe it was Peter who couldn't be trusted to play fair.

‘The David Lawrence case’ Peter began. ‘How did you have that plane ready to go so fast?’

Neal let out a long, painful sigh. The year leading up to his impromptu visit to Cape Verde had been difficult for both him and Peter and had left their relationship on very shaky ground — and with good reason. After Mozzie had carried out the brazen theft of the stolen art from the burning warehouse, Nealhad been forced to cover up his role in the affair with increasingly shameless lies and deceit.

The treasure had been nothing but a curse from the start, its allure impossible to resist. It had led Neal to do unspeakable things and had damn near landed him back in prison, for good this time. For starters, he’d lied to Elizabeth and he’d snuck around behind Peter’s back to manipulate the authenticity of the burned piece of canvas, covering up his part in the heist. He’d followed that with a con on Agent Matthews from DC Art Crimes, plying her with martinis in order to find out what the FBI knew about the theft. He’d even used his own girlfriend to help him insinuate himself into Diana and Christie’s apartment so he could find out what Diana knew and in an act of puredesperation, he’d stooped the lowest he ever could imagine by abusing Peter’s trust and breaking into the Burkes’ home on a search for a copy of the manifest. He recalled how he’d sat on the edge of the Burkes’ bed that night, talking to sweet, trusting Peter on the phone, the older man offering him sympathy and understanding following his recent break-up with Sara.

As painful as it had been, it was Elizabeth’s kidnapping at the hands of Matthew Keller that had finally brought Neal’s duplicity to light and gotten the two men back on the road to reconciliation. Once he’d realized the stakes involved, Neal had willingly worked with Peter to outsmart Keller and get Elizabeth back safely - gladly giving up the coveted treasure in exchange for the woman’s safe return. In the end, Neal’s willingness to turn himself in and take responsibility for his actions had gone a long way to restoring a level of trust and respect between the two men.

But Neal hadn't come clean about _everything_ and Peter hadn't asked for details - plausible deniability and all.

‘Peter, I don’t know if it does any good to —’

‘I want to know, Neal’ Peter interrupted. ‘Don’t you think after everything I went through, after everything El went through, I deserve to know?’

Neal looked away; there was shame in his eyes as he finally looked over at Peter.

‘I’m not proud of the way I behaved... but you have to know that the night the warehouse exploded, when you interrogated me until all hours of the night, in that moment, I had no idea who’d stolen the art.’

‘No idea?’ Peter said, eyebrow cocked. ‘Really? But you knew the original art hadn't perished.’

Neal stared down at the ground; Mozzie had engineered it in such a way that Neal could always claim that he hadn’t been involved directly with the theft but that didn't change all the lies and deceptions that had followed in the ensuing months as Neal covered up the heist and the fact that he and Mozzie had the art in their possession.

‘I guess, deep down I suspected Mozzie from the very start but I... I didn't know for sure until the next day. Peter, I told you, I’ve never lied to you... never.’

‘But you could have spoken up’ Peter reminded him. ‘So many times...’

‘I know, Peter, I know. I even chose that damn u-boat-load of stuff over my relationship with Sara’ Neal admitted.

‘Was it worth it?’

Neal scoffed loudly. ‘That treasure was poison from the very start, that’s what I told Moz. It was radioactive and only brought pain to anyone who was in contact with it. It came close to destroying any shred of trust you could ever have in me and I almost lost Sara for good because of it.’

‘Is that a no?’

‘The allure was... irresistible at first, I’ll admit it. It... it represented my freedom, the possibility of starting over again somewhere else without a care in the world, without ever worrying about money again’.

‘...and without the people you’d grown to care about’ Peter reminded him.

Neal nodded, his face sad. ‘You have no idea how many times I almost came clean to you.’

‘ _Almost_ being the operative word’ Peter reminded him.

‘I tried to convince Moz to let me tell Sara. I thought I might be able to convince her to come with us when we finally left... but I could see she wasn't going to cross that line and follow a fugitive to the ends of the earth. I let Moz convince me that we couldn't tell anyone if we ran. He even gave me an ultimatum, that’s why we’d fallen out just before Keller took Elizabeth but you already know that...’

Peter listened. It was difficult to hear the confessions but if he and Neal were ever going to get past it and learn to rebuild their relationship, they needed to build on solid ground and not some bait and switch from Neal.

‘The plane...’ Peter said, returning to his original question. He’d always wondered how Neal had managed to have that plane fuelled and ready to go during their undercover operation to catch David Lawrence smuggling sixty million bucks out of the country.

‘Mozzie had set it up. We were going to leave that day... without a trace. But when Lawrence’s thugs found Jones, they thought they were made and Lawrence got skittish. I had to let him think I had an alternate escape route for him or the whole operation would have gone belly-up and we never would have caught him trying to escape with the money.’

‘So you gave up your own escape plan to keep them from killing Jones.’

Neal looked down and nodded. ‘Mozzie was pissed off but the truth was I wasn't ready to leave and I was secretly relieved that the plan had fallen through. But Moz kept hounding me and finally, just before Keller took Elizabeth, I told him I wasn't going and that’s why he blew up at me.’

‘How did you manage to switch out that sample from the fire?’

Neal frowned. ‘I think it’s my turn to toss the coin’ Neal said with a naughty smile on his face. ‘You’ve got to pick your questions carefully, Agent Burke.’

Peter looked his partner up and down and threw the coin up in the air for Neal to catch.

‘Smart ass’ he said.

TBC 


	6. Chapter 6

The elevator fan whirring softly overhead became silent once more as the two men continued with their impromptu chat. The ventilation had been cutting in and out, ostensibly diffusing some recycled air in the confined space and whenever it stopped, things got eerily quiet, a silence that was conducive to the kind of sharing that had been taking place between the two friends.Neal toyed with the coin between his fingers, not even bothering to flip it up in the air. They were going back and forth, taking turns addressing issues they never had time to discuss during their busy days of crime fighting. 

‘What did you think of me when we met in front of the bank that day?’ Neal asked, his voice quiet.

‘You mean the day you handed me that green lollipop?’ 

The ex-con liked to think he’d outsmarted the FBI agent that day, getting right up in his face, brazenly taunting him without Peter being the wiser. 'Yeah, did you think anything of it?'

Peter seemed to consider the question for a moment, thinking back to that day years earlier when a young man, looking fresh-faced and earnest had come up to him, thanking him for the FBI’s excellent work and expressing concern about the authenticity of the bonds he had placed at the bank.Peter remembered finding the whole encounter rather amusing, charming really, but he was well trained and he knew things weren’t always as they seemed. He recalled how he’d watched Neal walk away, wondering if this wasn't just too much of a coincidence following the forged bonds they’d just discovered inside the bank. It was only months later when the FBI got its first visual of ‘James Bonds’ that he'd finally put two and two together.

‘I was suspicious’ he admitted, looking over at Neal with his head cocked to one side. ‘I certainly made a point of memorizing your face... but that was about it. I didn't have anything but a hunch to go on, so I let it go.’

‘So, you didn't make me that day?’ Neal asked. ‘I always wondered if I’d given myself away.’

‘I was curious as to why you’d come up to me in the middle of the street like that but it wasn't until we got our first visual that I remembered your face from that day.’

‘The Grant Gallery?’ Neal asked with a grimace.

‘Yeah’ Peter admitted, recalling the first time they’d caught Neal on tape. ‘You missed one of the security cameras.’

‘Damn it. I knew we’d done our recon too quickly on that one’ Neal said, shaking his head.

‘What was it that time?’ Peter asked, frowning as he tried to remember. ‘Some Egyptian amulet?’

‘No, that was the Baker gallery. The Grant was a mother and child sculpture from that Norwegian sculptor, Christensen.’

Peter nodded as he recalled the theft — nothing else had been taken that night; it had obviously been stolen for sentimental value alone.

‘It was a lark...’ Neal reflected. ‘Kate had admired it when we’d visited the gallery and she’d dared me to sneak in and get it for her.’

Peter shook his head in disbelief. ‘You took an awful lot of chances for that girl.’

‘I was crazy about her... I wanted to give her the world, pretty well everything I did was to impress the hell out of her.’ 

Peter had never been terribly fond of Kate Moreau. He’d always been skeptical of her intentions vis-à-vis Neal. He thought she’d taken advantage of the ex-con, getting him to jump through hoops to prove his devotion and leaving him alone to take the fall for the actions she’d goaded him into taking. But Neal had been smitten; smitten enough to plan and carry out that cockamamie jail break, knowing full well he’d be recaptured within hours and marched right back to Sing Sing for another extended stay. Peter had always doubted Kate’s motives. If that was love, Peter wanted no part of it.

Although he knew the answer, Peter couldn't help but ask. ‘Did you love her?’

Neal shrugged. ‘Kate was like an angel, an apparition... in the beginning, she was sweet and innocent. I wanted to take care of her, protect her but I ended up corrupting her... and she let herself be corrupted. I was never sure in the end if she really loved me or if she just loved all the things I could give her.’

Peter listened, relieved. It seemed that now that some time had passed since her untimely demise, Neal had begun to get some perspective about the woman who, in Peter’s opinion, had been poisonous for him.

‘What about Sara?’ Peter asked.

‘Sara?’ Neal repeated with a warm smile. ‘Sara’s the opposite of Kate. She’s strong and self-sufficient, she’s not afraid to speak her mind and... she pushes me to be a better man, especially now, with the baby coming.’

He looked up at Peter, noting his reaction. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Sara has her moments. She can play it right up to the edge but... well, there’s a line she would never cross and she reminds me every day what’s at stake if I even consider stepping over that line.’

Peter nodded in agreement. He’d seen it several times over the past few months, that look in Neal’s eyes as he seemed to be considering doing something that would likely get him into trouble. Whereas before, there had been the impulse to act without thinking, now Neal seemed to weigh his options more carefully before stepping in it. Peter knew that during those few seconds, his CI was thinking about Sara and his baby daughter and how his actions might affect them.

‘I guess that’s not a bad thing, huh, buddy?’ he commented.

Neal got a faraway look in his eyes and his hand returned to the pocket where he’d hidden his new acquisition. He pulled out the box with the ring and opened it, staring down at his purchase.

‘No, not a bad thing at all’ he agreed - although there was a devilish smile on his lips, keeping Peter guessing.

He snapped the box shut and put it back in his pocket, leaning back against the wall and stretching his back.

‘Do you actually remember every single one of your heists in detail?’ Peter asked, out of the blue.

Neal smiled broadly. ‘Of course I do. Each job is carefully planned... lovingly executed. Each one is like... it’s like a baby you’re bringing into the world.’

He stopped suddenly and Peter just waited while he realized the absurdity of what he’d just said.

‘Yeah... I guess that’s a bit of hyperbole’ Neal laughed. ‘Considering I’m about to become a dad any day now.’

‘Why did you take all those chances? It was just a question of time before we caught up with you’ Peter said as he continued to chip away at unraveling the mystery that was Neal Caffrey.

‘For the same reason you do what you do. For the thrill and excitement, for the rush... and to see that look in Kate’s eyes when I came back with something I knew she really wanted. But once you came on the scene, it became all about the challenge of trying to stay one step ahead of you’ Neal said with a wry smile. ‘And it was an awful lot of fun.’

Peter couldn't help but smile. It had, indeed, been a hell of a ride following Neal around the globe, waiting for him to make the inevitable mistake that would finally land him in the FBI’s clutches.

‘The criminal always slips up in the end’ he said. ‘That’s the beauty of it.’

‘I’ll admit there’s a certain allure to your profession’ Neal admitted. ‘But I like to put myself in the criminal’s head, try to figure out what he’s thinking.’

‘And you’re good at it Neal, you really are. You know, if you wanted, we could look at options so you could stay with the Bureau after your release.’

Neal looked over at his friend and frowned, shaking his head. ‘Not sure that’s my thing, Peter’ he said, seeing the look of disappointment in his handler’s eyes. ‘But I’ll give it some thought.’

‘What do you think you might like to do? After the anklet comes off, I mean.’

Neal let out a long slow breath. ‘I don’t know... I’ve been so focussed on staying out of jail the past few years... Corporate security, maybe... art authentication. I really don’t know. Sara and I have been talking about what we’ll do with the baby once she goes back to work. I don’t want her with just anybody...’

He got quiet as if imagining his future as a husband and a dad; he needed to be thinking ahead if he didn't want to become a kept man - something he definitely didn't want for himself.

‘Whatever I do, I want my daughter to be proud of me, to look up to me.’

‘She will’ Peter said. ‘Because all she’ll see is a dad who loves her and wants what’s best for her.’

‘Well, someday, she’s bound to find out what I did...’ Neal stated, growing quiet. He picked up on something in Peter’s eyes. Regret or perhaps longing.

‘Did you and El ever think about...’ he began, hoping he wasn't being indiscreet.

‘Yeah, we’ve been trying for years but...’ Peter said, letting his voice trail. ‘It’s harder on El but now that she’s got a business she loves, it’s gotten a little better.’

‘It must have been hard on the two of you when Sara got pregnant, huh?’ 

‘It was... in the beginning’ Peter admitted. ‘Especially when she wasn't sure if she was going to keep it. It’s hard to... it’s just hard when someone else gets pregnant by accident when you’ve been trying a long time without success.’

‘I’m sorry, Peter’ Neal said solemnly.

Peter seemed to make light of it - a deflection Neal knew all too well. ‘Awww, you know, we have busy lives with work and we’re both really excited about becoming godparents. I think that’ll help El, give her something to focus on.’

A sincere smile lit up his face and Neal realized once more what a great decision they’d made in asking the Burkes to be godparents to their daughter. She was going to be the luckiest kid in the world - and probably the most spoiled.

They grew quiet again, enveloped in complete silence.

‘Do you ever wish you hadn't gotten married?’ Neal asked, changing the subject.

‘That’s a strange question coming from a guy who just bought an engagement ring this afternoon.'

The fan was heard coming back to life above their head, a soft steady sound, hypnotic in its quality.

‘I mean... what’s it like, after twelve years? I know how I feel about Sara today and I know I don’t want to live my life without her but... well, it’s just hard to imagine us in ten years, or twenty.’

‘It just gets better’ Peter said without much hesitation. ‘Oh, you have your moments of humdrum domesticity like dealing with picking up the dry cleaning, arguing about who’s turn it is to empty out the dishwasher and you get to know things about each other that aren’t exactly... flattering or glamourous. But with time, it just gets so much better. So much deeper. You start to know what she’s thinking just by the look in her eyes, even after years, your heart still skips a beat when she walks into the room and when you see her name appear on your phone, you get a goofy smile on your face. You lay in bed at night when the world has gone to sleep and you share your most intimate thoughts and hopes and dreams and she gets you... she really gets you.’

Neal smiled as he listened to his partner - a rare peek at his quiet, introspective side. Peter was a man of action and the two men didn't have much occasion to discuss things like their love lives but it was nice to know that Peter was happy and fulfilled in his marriage. Neal could only hope he and Sara would be as lucky.

‘So, you think I’m doing the right thing?’

‘Yeah buddy, I think you’re doing the right thing’ Peter reassured him, placing his hand on Neal’s shoulder and squeezing.

‘I have to admit, it’s... pretty scary’ Neal admitted in a moment of self-doubt.

Peter chuckled. ‘It _is_ scary. My uncle Nick used to say whenever one of us kids got engaged: _‘Dive in, the water’s fine._ ’

Neal nodded and smiled.

‘At some point, you just have to take a leap of faith’ Peter added. ‘There are no guarantees in life - the divorce rates in this country are a testament to that but... if you’re willing to work at it, you and Sara will have a wonderful life together. I can see how much you two care about each other but more importantly, I can see the respect you have for one another and as far as I’m concerned that’s probably the single most important measure of success in a marriage. She might want you to be a better version of yourself but she loves you for who you really are, warts and all and I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who’ll look at you with more love in her eyes than Sara Ellis.’

The smile on Neal’s face grew wider as he thought of the woman he was preparing to commit his life to. The fear dissipated, replaced by a feeling of well-being.

‘Hello?’ came the disembodied voice once more. ‘Are you still there?’

Peter and Neal looked at each other and rolled their eyes; where the hell else would they be?

‘Yeah, we’re still here’ Peter replied with a straight face as he got to his feet. ‘Any progress?’

‘The power is starting to come on in certain sectors so hang tight. It shouldn't be much longer’ the disembodied voice said.

‘Okay, thanks’ Peter said, letting out a long slow breath.

He stretched his arms up towards the ceiling, stretching his back and looked down at Neal.

‘I don’t suppose you’re hiding a hoagie in there?’ he asked, pointing to Neal’s abandoned jacket.

WCWCWC

Satchmo lay at El’s feet, sound asleep as the rain continued to pound the side of the house. It was past eight o’clock and the threesome had given up on waiting for the men and sat, eating the chicken and broccoli casserole El had prepared for dinner.

‘So, any progress on names?’ Elizabeth asked as they sat around the table in the Burke dining room.

‘Some... at least I got Neal to stop calling her Boo-boo - which is a definite improvement’ Sara said wryly as she rubbed her belly.

‘I like Boo-boo’ Mozzie said, not surprisingly.

‘Of course you do' Sara replied dryly. 'This from a man who calls himself Mozzie.’

‘Where did your name come from Moz?’ Elizabeth asked. ‘Is it a derivative of your given name? I’ve always wanted to know.’

‘And you never will’ Mozzie replied as he took a bite from his plate.

The women exchanged knowing glances; the man was a mess of paranoia who took pride in evading Big Brother at every turn. There was trust and there was trust but no matter how much he enjoyed Mrs. Suit’s company, Mozzie was never going to share intimate details about himself.

‘So, what’s on your short list?’ El asked.

‘Neal would kill me if I told you. He wants to keep it private... at least for now.’

‘I’ve always liked the name Stephanie’ El confided. ‘Or Lindsay.’

‘I knew a Lindsay once. Lindsay Holloway - he was one of the best fences in Chicago’ Mozzie volunteered.

‘Oh yeah, that name can be used for a boy or a girl’ Elizabeth reflected. ‘Maybe not Lindsay then, how about... Emma or Hannah.’

‘Those are nice’ Sara said, noncommittal, eager to change the subject before she accidentally spilled the beans.

‘We’re getting a tour of the maternity ward at Lenox Hill next Monday night’ she said with a smile.

‘Oh yeah?’ El said. ‘What kind of tour?’

‘They’re showing us the birthing rooms and the post-natal room where they keep the babies’ Sara explained, eyes brightening.

‘Whatever happened to giving birth on all fours at home in your own bed with some good old-fashioned chanting in the background?’ Mozzie asked.

Elizabeth gave him a nasty look. ‘Moz, not everybody’s into home births. I’m with Sara, I think I’d feel safer in a hospital.’

‘Fine!’ the man declared with a look of warning. ‘But don’t come crying to me when you find out your kid’s footprints are in the system and she’s only a day old.’

Sara shook her head; she was used to Mozzie and his conspiracy theories although sometimes she wished Neal wasn't quite so patient with his old friend. She’d already made it very clear to her boyfriend that, whatever the future held, Mozzie was not to have a negative influence on their daughter’s life, no matter what.

‘How’s the baby’s room coming along?’ Elizabeth asked.

‘I’m not sure’ Sara admitted with a frown. ‘Neal doesn't want me going in there, says he’s got a surprise for me.’

Mozzie’s face lit up; whatever the secret, he seemed to know all about it.

‘And you’ve actually managed to keep yourself from going in there to take a look?’ Elizabeth asked, incredulous. ‘You’re a better person than I am.’

‘Believe me, I’ve been tempted... on multiple occasions. But Neal is so excited about the big reveal this weekend so I’m trying hard to respect his wishes. But the furniture’s all arrived and we picked all that stuff together.’

Elizabeth glanced over at Mozzie and winked. Neal had confided in both of them that he’d been painting a mural in the baby’s room - without Sara’s knowledge. He would wait until she fell asleep at night and go into the baby’s room for a couple of hours before returning to bed, Sara none the wiser. If there was ever a sign that Neal wanted the baby and Sara to remain at June’s, this was it. But the two of them had been sworn to secrecy.

The phone rang and Elizabeth sprung to her feet as Sara tracked her with curious eyes.

‘Honey! Finally! What’s going on?’ she heard El say as she struggled to get up from the table.

‘Honey? Peter?’ El repeated.

‘What? What’s the matter?’ Sara said, out of breath.

‘It was Peter. He just said they were fine and then the line cut out’ El said with disappointment.

Mozzie raised his eyebrows in response, looking rather smug. ‘Big Brother... that’s all I’m saying.’

WCWCWC

‘Damn it, I lost the call’ Peter grumbled as he tried again to get a dial tone.

‘Peter, the cell phone reception is always lousy in here. It's totally hit and miss’ Neal reminded him with a loud sigh.

‘Was Sara there? Did she say anything?’ he asked, leaning forward.

‘Yes, Neal’ Peter replied, his tone sarcastic. ‘I think I heard her breathing in the background.’

‘What? You don’t have to be so snarky’ Neal complained. ‘You can’t blame me for asking about her.’

‘Sorry, I guess I’m...frustrated’ Peter grumbled, throwing the phone down on the floor. ‘And I’m HUNGRY!’

‘All right, all right, calm down! Jeesh! I’ve got a granola bar in my coat pocket.’

Peter glared at him; if looks could kill.‘And you couldn't lead with that?’

Despite his partner’s lack of manners, Neal reached into the pocket of his overcoat. ‘What? You said you wanted a hoagie’ he replied with an eye roll and a head shake.

‘Here, take it’ he said handing over the coveted bar with a scowl.

Peter took it from Neal’s outstretched hand and settled on the floor, unwrapping the small bar with as much lust as if he’d been cutting into a sixteen ounce porterhouse steak.

‘Want some?’ he asked Neal as he stuffed half of it into his mouth.

‘I’ll wait’ Neal said, trying to take the high road. ‘Don’t want to ruin my appetite, after all, your wife is holding dinner for us.’

‘Always have to try to come across as the bigger man, huh Caffrey?’ Peter said, visibly annoyed.

Neal brought his arms up and crossed them on his chest, peeved at Peter’s comment. He checked his watch, noting it had been over ninety minutes since they’d first stepped into the elevator, about eighty-nine minutes too many, as far as he was concerned.

Peter finished up his snack, letting out a loud burp of satisfaction. His breathing finally returned to normal and he glanced over at Neal, sitting there with his arms tucked up against his chest, noting that he’d pulled on his hat and pushed it down over his eyes in a sign of displeasure.

‘Sorry’ Peter mumbled. ‘I guess I was a little _too_ hungry.’

‘No, Peter. That’s not hungry, that’s hangry’ Neal grumbled back. ‘And I’ll tell you something, it’s not a very good look on you.’

Peter pouted for a moment, realizing his behaviour had been somewhat over the top but Neal relented. He pushed his hat off his head and threw it in the corner of the elevator as he began to thaw.

‘So, what do you want to do now?’ Peter asked.

Neal thought for a moment; without anything to amuse themselves, they needed to be creative.

‘If you had to choose...would you rather be famous but die in your 50’s or remain anonymous but live until you’re 99?’ he asked, his face brightening.

‘You’re kidding’ Peter said, disbelieving. ‘You want to play that game?’

‘Answer the question, Agent Burke’ Neal replied with a smirk.

TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

‘Neal, that’s a stupid game’ Peter muttered as he feigned banging his head against the wall.

‘It is not stupid. It gives you insight into what’s important to somebody... what their core values are’ Neal argued.

‘Oh, is this the tactic you used to get inside your marks’ heads?’ Peter teased.

‘Some variation of it’ the ex-con readily admitted. ‘If you want to run a successful con, you’ve got to know your mark... figure out what’s important to them, what motivates them to act and how you can influence their behaviour to your advantage.’

Peter listened with interest; it was always fun getting into Neal’s head. He’d been trying to figure out how the man’s mind worked for years, trying to understand the unique way Neal had of processing information.

‘So, give me a ‘for instance. Like... like Adler, how did you go about planning that con?’ 

Neal smiled, looking rather smug - and maybe just a little proud that Peter would ask. Although he and many other investors had been conned when Adler disappeared with all their hard earned money, he was still proud of the work he and Mozzie had done infiltrating Adler’s conglomerate.

‘Well, that was a long con’ he confided, rubbing his neck to relieve the kink that had began to form there. ‘Mozzie and I were in it for the long run... but it was worth it because the payoff was huge.’

‘So, what was your take on Adler? How did you figure out your in?’

‘Moz and I studied him for weeks, trying to figure out what his weaknesses were. Before long, we’d figured out he valued two things above all else: smarts and loyalty. So, I infiltrated his organization by impressing him with intel about some company he was interested in buying out. Then, over several months, I made myself indispensable by showing him I was loyal and would go to any lengths to help him get ahead.’

‘Any lengths?’

Neal frowned as he looked over at Peter. ‘It worked. The guy was vain and that was his downfall. When he saw that I was willing to be loyal to him no matter what, he started to let me into his inner circle... which positioned me perfectly to get what we were after.’

‘Access to his bank account’ Peter said.

‘Right’ Neal replied.

‘But he made you in the end’ Peter reminded him.

Neal exhaled loudly. ‘Yeah, I’ll never know for sure but my best guess is that he saw that composite sketch that ran in the paper, the one that happened to look an awful lot like me. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, right?’

Peter smiled smugly; that had been his doing. ‘You know Neal, you’re a lot more complex than I give you credit for. Sometimes, all I see when I look at you is an impulsive four-year-old who can’t sit still for morethan five minutes and acts before thinking things through. And yet, when it comes to these long cons, you show amazing restraint.’

‘Believe it or not, Moz helped me rein in my impulses and learn patience. He’s a planner... to a fault.’

Peter chuckled as he thought of Mozzie ever being anything but a bad influence on Neal and yet, he couldn't help but have a soft spot for the annoying little guy, regardless of his past sins. With time, he realized Mozzie was more of a nuisance than any real threat and besides, he’d been a good friend to Neal when Kate had died, loyal to the end.

‘Moz has always been on my case about not wearing my heart on my sleeve. I have to admit, my love life has gotten me into trouble on occasion.’

‘Well, I disagree with Mozzie. I happen to think you should listen to your heart more often; you have amazing instincts.’

‘Why Agent Burke, what are you saying?’ Neal asked with a taunting smirk.

‘You know what I’m saying. I’m saying that you have a good heart and you care about people and that you should learn to listen to that little voice inside your head that tells you to think before you dive in and do something wrong.’

Neal smiled and rolled his eyes. ‘Wrong? Or illegal?’

‘Aren’t they one and the same?’

Neal scoffed. ‘Not really... not in my mind. What if... what if you were wrongly accused of something. Wouldn't you want to do whatever was necessary to clear your name?’

‘You mean the old ‘the ends justify the means’?’

‘Yeah, kind of. When I was suspected in the theft of that pink diamond at Le joyau précieux, I had to... circumvent the rules so I could prove my innocence.’

‘So, you’re telling me you can justify doing anything in the name of some justice you’ve made up in your head?’

Neal grew silent, mulling over the question.

‘What if that meant killing someone?’ Peter asked, testing the limits of Neal’s argument.

Neal gave him a look of annoyance. ‘No amount of rationalization would allow a sane person to justify murder. But, sometimes, you need to take matters into your own hands to make sure justice is served.’

Peter shook his head and stared off into space. ‘That’s where we disagree. Our society has established rules about what is and what isn't acceptable and we should play by those rules. If you do, most times, you’ll get your justice in the end.’

‘Most times isn't good enough. You know, Peter, you’re beginning to sound like a broken record. You’ve got to be creative in life, nothing’s going to be handed to you on a silver platter, you have to go out and get it.’

Peter thought of their earlier discussion and Neal’s desire to go straight; it seemed at odds with what he’d just said, his core belief that sometimes the rules needed to be bent... or broken.

‘So, what are you going to do to make sure your daughter is proud of her dad, then?’ he asked, watching as Neal squirmed.

The ex-con grew quiet for a moment before looking up at Peter, blue eyes sparkling despite the dim lighting.

‘I guess I’ll keep working on being my best self’ he said quietly. ‘... look ahead and walk a straight line.’

Peter leaned in, he’d wanted to ask this question ever since they’d first sat down.

‘Neal...’ he began waiting for Neal to look up at him before continuing.

‘Do you really think you can go straight?’

Neal didn't hesitate for a moment, perhaps answering a little too quickly.‘Yes! Yes, Peter, I do. For her... for Sara. I can do it.’

Peter nodded and smiled. ‘I’ll be there for you, you know. To help... if things get tough.’

Neal smiled naughtily, trying to gain some control of the conversation the only way he knew how, by being cocky.He seemed to sober up, growing more serious and less flip as something crossed his mind.

‘Last week, Mozzie came over with some crazy scheme to...’ he stopped momentarily, thinking better of it. ‘It doesn't matter what it was, the point is I was sitting there with Moz and I was getting a little excited about what he was telling me, already imagining it... how it might go down.’

Peter leaned in, growing ever more interested in where this was going.

‘We were sitting there at the table and Sara came in from taking a bath. She was wearing this kimono of hers, this blue silk thing she wears around the house that’s getting way too small for her, her hair was piled up on top of her head, her stomach... her stomach stepping into the room even before she did...’ he said with a gentle laugh, his gaze faraway as he recalled the moment.

‘She looked... she looked amazing. She didn't say a word, she just looked over and smiled at me, her face was glowing, freshly washed. She was barefoot, her painted toes against the dark wood floor, not a trace of makeup on her face, just her skin glowing. I... I couldn't take my eyes off her belly, it was so... so round and beautiful and... perfect and it hit me again, just how much I love her, how much I love our little girl... how much I want to do right by the two of them.’

His eyes came up to look at Peter, intense and serious. ‘I can do this, Peter. For Sara and the baby... I can go straight.’

A smile graced Peter’s lips and he nodded in understanding. He’d rarely seen so much honesty and candor on Neal’s face in all the time he’d known him and in that moment, he believed him - as much as Neal believed the words himself. Neal would do what it took to be worthy of being this little baby’s daddy and if things went as planned, Sara’s husband.

WCWCWC

‘You really don’t need to do that, you know’ Elizabeth said as Sara finished rinsing their dinner dishes.

‘It’s okay’ Sara admitted, her large belly up pushed up against the kitchen counter. ‘I’ve got to keep moving if I want to stay awake until the guys get back.’

‘Damn it!’ she complained, looking down at her dress which had soaked up some of the water spilling over from the sink. ‘This happens all the time now. I lean up against the counter and come away looking like... like this’ she said, wiping the worst of it with the dishrag El handed her.

Their eyes met and they both laughed. ‘I guess there are worse things in life...’ she admitted.

With Mozzie gone, the Burke house had grown quiet again as the two women continued their vigil. Truth was, the silence was welcome after Mozzie’s over the top histrionics.

Elizabeth reached up to put away the salad bowl on an upper shelf. ‘Boy, that Mozzie is something else, isn't he?’

‘It sure is quiet when he’s not in the room’ Sara admitted with a grin.

Her hand moved to hold her stomach, her other arm braced against the kitchen counter as she moaned.

‘Feel this!’ she croaked out, her voice faint.

Elizabeth was instantly by her side, hand on her belly.

‘Whoa, that’s rock hard’ she commented as Sara moaned through the contraction.

As if the baby recognized her godmother’s voice, she gave a decisive kick against Elizabeth’s hand just as the contraction ended and the happy godmother smiled at the sensation.

‘See?’ Sara said with a smile. ‘She already knows who you are.’

Sara stepped away from the counter and made her way over to the kitchen island, perching herself awkwardly on a stool while El continued to put things away.

‘Can I tell you something?’ Sara asked hesitantly.

El made her way to face her. ‘Of course you can.’

‘I’m terrified.'

‘About giving birth?’

‘Yeah... but I know women have been doing it for centuries and I’ll get through it... somehow. Neal will be with me and I plan on doing a lot of guilt inducing screaming and... punching him in the arm as much as possible’ she chuckled. ‘But I’m even more scared about what happens after.’

‘After?’

‘Neal will be home for a few days but then, he gets to go back to work and live a normal life’ Sara said, eyes filling with tears. ‘El, I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby... and she’ll be looking to me for everything.’

‘Oh, honey...'

‘I’ve never been what you’d call maternal and... I know this sounds selfish, but I’ll miss my job, the excitement of hearing about a new lead and going out on a recovery.’

‘Sara, you’ll do all that again’ El reminded her. ‘You’ll be back to work in just a few months.’

‘I know but... I’ll still have this baby for the rest of my life.’

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh; it was as if Sara had just clued in that you couldn't return a baby as easily as you could a library book.

‘She’s not going to be a baby forever. She’s going to grow up, go to school and someday, she’ll be a grownup herself’ she reflected. ‘And you and Neal get to see it all, every minute of every day.’

‘Thanks’ Sara replied sarcastically. ‘Not what I was going for.’

‘You know what I mean, you’ll get to witness her growing up before your eyes and you’ll go back to work and live to fight another day. Trust me, someday, you’ll look back and wonder where the years have gone.’

‘I can’t imagine that right now’ Sara admitted. ‘Do you think I’m making a mistake thinking about moving back to my place?’

‘I think you should talk to Neal, hear him out. All this hasn't happened in the... traditional way but I wouldn't expect anything else from the two of you. You and Neal have always been trendsetters’ El said with a smile. ‘You just have to find your way of doing things but most importantly, don’t assume you know what Neal’s thinking. Talk to him.’

Sara groaned. ‘Oh, shit! Another one! Jesus!’

WCWCWC

The two men had been sitting in companionable silence, resigned to the fact that no matter how much they complained, it wouldn't get them out of there any faster. Neal stretched his legs and Peter moved his long limbs in order to make room for him. He caught a glimpse of Neal’s anklet, the green light visible, as always. More times than he could remember, he'd wondered what it might be like to be tethered to something like an electronic monitor - the lack of privacy, the loss of freedom.

‘What’s it like? Having that thing on your leg every minute of every day?’ he asked, genuinely curious.

Neal scoffed. ‘It’s a nuisance mostly, but it’s all right’ he said as he reached down to touch it, practically caressing it. ‘Putting on socks is a pain in the ass and I hate the way people stare at it when I go to the pool. The other day, a man grabbed his kid and ushered him out to the change room so fast... guess he thought I was some kind of sex offender or something.’

Peter smiled sadly.

‘It’s going to be weird when it finally comes off, though’ Neal added wistfully. ‘ _If_ it comes off.’

‘Of course it’ll come off, Neal. You’re doing great’ Peter reminded him.

‘I have no right to complain’ Neal mused, his voice soft. ‘I deserve to be wearing it.’

He snapped out of the reflective mood he'd been in and looked up with a grin. ‘Believe me, it’s infinitely better than being inside.’

‘I suppose...’ Peter said in agreement.

Both men knew that Neal had gotten a great deal with early release, but at times, Peter couldn't help but feel empathy for his CI. Watching Neal struggle with being tethered to the anklet, to the FBI, it was like watching a beautiful bird trapped in a cage, unable to spread his wings. The guy had so much potential but for the moment at least, his existence was closely monitored, his every action scrutinized, his freedom curtailed. And yet, Neal seemed to accept his fate with grace and dignity, making the best of an impossible situation.

Peter’s mission was clear: use the ex-con to his full potential and make the deal the FBI made with the ex-con worthwhile. Neal had been a trooper, giving the Bureau everything he had - more than Peter had the right to expect. He thought back to the commendation award his team had received three months earlier and how Neal had been excluded from the awards dinner. He still bristled when he thought about it. The decision to ban him because he was still purging his sentence had been unfair to Neal who was undeniably one of the hardest working member of his team. If anything, he and Reese Hughes often had to rein Neal in to keep him from taking unnecessary risks with his safety, putting everything on the line to help catch some pretty nasty criminals.

‘When you walked away from that first meeting we had in prison, after I broke out...’ Neal said, his voice quiet. ‘I think I was at my lowest. I really thought I was going to be able to talk you into letting me come to work for you.’

‘You did... in the end.’

‘Well, I didn't know that when you turned your back and walked away that day. Those couple of weeks before you came back for me were some of the worst weeks of my life. Before that, I’d been looking forward to my release... only had a few months to go but then, after you caught up with me at Kate’s apartment, I just didn't have anything to live for.’

‘Do you ever any regrets? About your life before?’ Peter asked.

Neal looked over at his handler, his eyes sparkling in that way they always did when he got a little too smug. ‘I know you’d like me to say I do but... the truth is, I really don’t have many regrets. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t take pleasure in causing people hardship... I just got addicted to the rush of pulling off a heist or running a successful con. It was a great run for a lot of years, Peter.’

Neal grew quiet, reflecting. ‘But that’s all behind me know. I want to look ahead to my future with Sara and the baby. I just worry that someday, my little girl will figure out what I did and lose respect for me. I guess that qualifies as a regret.’

Peter watched his partner struggle with the notion that there were consequences to all actions and that the free ride he’d been on was finally over. It was time to pay the piper.

‘What about you?’ Neal asked. ‘Do you have any regrets?’

‘Tons. When it comes to you, I regret letting them take you into custody after Kate’s plane blew up’ he admitted, his voice quiet.

Neal sighed loudly, recalling that horrible period in his life. Grieving in a prison cell, all alone, suspected of being responsible for killing the woman he loved. It had been a horrible time and all he remembered was feeling numb and cold — and so alone.

‘I should have pushed harder to get you out’ Peter reflected.

‘I know you did your best’ Neal replied without bitterness. ‘I guess the Bureau needed to unravel everything before coming to the conclusion that I had nothing to do with what happened.’

He looked over at his partner, noticing Peter’s eyes trained on the floor.

‘I never blamed you for that. I know you did everything you could to get me out of there. Anyway... it’s long forgotten.’

Peter kept staring down, recalling how impotent he’d felt, arguing with the DOJ, trying to convince them that Neal had been as much of a victim as Kate had been.

‘Neal, there’s something else’ he said, face darkening once more. ‘Something that’s been bothering me for a while that I... I need to tell you.’

‘Sure, what is it?’

‘Cape Verde...’

‘Yeah, what about it?’

‘The reason Collins came after you... well, it was all my fault’ Peter admitted.

‘What are you talking about?’ Neal asked, puzzled.

Peter had come after him on the island and had engineered Neal’s return to the States, doing everything he could to make sure the younger man was spared a return to prison. He’d felt responsible for Neal’s escape in the first place, having given him the signal to run following the whole Kramer debacle. Of course, Peter had paid dearly for going after Neal. Upon his return he'd been suspended and banished to the evidence lock-up but it had been well worth it. In some ways, he’d seen it as penance for what he deemed had been a betrayal of Neal, albeit an unwitting one.

‘When you disappeared, Jones, Diana and I worked for days trying to figure out where you were hiding. I wanted to bring you back home to finish serving the rest of your sentence. I felt responsible for sending you away in the first place. When you and I talked on the phone that night, we were able to get some clues...’

Neal studied Peter’s face, unsure what this was all leading to. ‘I would expect nothing less from you, Agent Burke.’

‘We managed to pinpoint your location and in my excitement I circled Cape Verde on the map we’d been staring at. I was excited about figuring it out, about finding you. What I hadn't counted on was Collinsgetting a search warrant to search my house... and find that damn map. All that work we’d done to try to locate you... I should have destroyed it.’

Peter looked over at Neal, awaiting his reaction; he’d been carrying the guilt for months now and it felt good to come clean.

‘Is that why you came to Cape Verde?’

‘In part...’ Peter admitted. ‘I had to take personal leave but it was worth it so I could warn you and keep you safe.’

‘You’ve done so much for me over the years, Peter... you’ve given me so many chances.’

‘Well, in this case, my stupidity almost got you killed’ Peter said.

Neal shook his head; he didn't see things quite the same way. ‘Coming after me... putting your own career on the line... that saved my life. If you hadn't come up with the scheme for returning MacLeish... well, I never would have gotten my deal reinstated and I would have ended back in jail... or dead.’

‘But if Collins hadn't found out where you were, you could have stayed indefinitely, you would have been safe.’ 

‘Safe? Do you know how much I missed you and El... and Sara. It made me realize that all the riches in the world are worth diddly squat if you have nobody to share them with. I could never have come back if you hadn't convinced the Bureau to give me another chance.’

‘I’ve been wanting to come clean for months’ Peter admitted, avoiding Neal’s gaze.

‘Seriously?’ Neal said in his usual self-deprecating way. ‘Peter, I hate to tell you... this pales in comparison to some of the stuff I’ve put you through.’

Peter let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and chuckled.

‘So don’t get me started’ Neal added with a smile, breaking the tension.

‘Hey, I’m getting married’ he added, giving Peter a playful slap on the leg and hoping to lighten the mood. ‘Which reminds me... I was going to ask you...’

He stopped and Peter’s eyes came up to look at him.

‘What?’ he asked when Neal seemed to freeze up, uncharacteristically hesitant.

‘Would you... Would you be my best man?’

Peter’s face lit up, eyes growing wide. ‘Yeah... yeah, it would be an honour to stand next to you on your wedding day.’

Neal nodded in satisfaction, his face relaxing.

He let out a loud sigh and got to his feet, stretching his arms and rolling his neck; he’d had just about enough of being cooped up and his stomach had begun to grumble. He tried his phone again, not expecting much and Peter watched his face come alive.

‘It’s ringing!’

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

‘It’s Neal!’ El cried out as she glanced down at the ringing phone, sitting between her and Sara on the kitchen island.

Sara was up like a shot, something El wouldn't have thought possible and she instantly reached out, bringing the phone to her ear.

‘Neal?’ she called out, her voice breathless.

‘Hey! Yeah, it’s me’ he replied, relief flooding his voice. ‘Don’t worry if the phone cuts out, it’s always hit and miss with the cell phones in here.’

‘Are you guys all right?’ she asked. It sure was nice to hear his voice.

‘Yeah, yeah, we’re fine, just... just bored out of our skulls... and hungry. You guys better have saved us some dinner!’

His face grew serious and Peter watched with interest as he spoke. ‘What about you, are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, we both are’ Sara replied dreamily - whether she meant her and Elizabeth or her and the baby was unclear but it made Neal smile all the same.

He stood there in the confined space, with his elbow awkwardly up in the air — the only position in which he’d managed to get a signal.

‘We’re just sitting around, waiting for you guys to get here’ Sara added, finally relaxing at the familiar sound of Neal’s voice. ‘We went ahead and had dinner but don’t worry, there’s plenty left for you.’

Sara’s eyes met Elizabeth’s who smiled back at her. She’d waited countless nights for Peter to come home from chasing down dangerous criminals; this little adventure was pretty tame in comparison. 

‘Don’t go out on the ice without me, okay?’ Neal warned, overprotective. ‘It’s really bad out there, it’s dangerous.’

‘Actually, it’s just plain rain now’ Sara replied. ‘But, don’t worry, I won’t.’

There was quiet on the other end of the line. ‘Neal?’ she called out to the dead silence which was immediately followed by an annoying dial tone.

She let the phone drop and looked over at her friend, staring at her from across the kitchen island.

‘Lost the call?’ El asked unnecessarily.

Sara nodded. ‘He sounded pretty upbeat, but bored.’

‘At least we know they’re safe’ Elizabeth commented, getting to her feet. ‘Now, can I tempt you with some freshly baked apple pie?’

WCWCWC

‘Damn it!’ Neal shouted at his phone just as Peter had done earlier.

‘Everything okay?’ Peter asked from his spot on the floor.

‘Yeah... she sounded fine. Said they ate...’ Neal said as Peter groaned ‘...but they saved us some.'

Peter held up his phone with a smirk and Neal stared back at a picture of himself, grinning widely.

‘What?’ he asked, wondering why Peter had taken a picture of him standing there, talking on the phone with his arm stuck in the air.

‘This is what you look like when you talk to Sara’ Peter informed him, getting to his feet to join him. ‘Or when you talk _about_ her... or _think_ about her, for that matter.’

Neal raised his eyebrows, looking rather annoyed. ‘It’s nice to know my love life is a source of amusement for you.’

‘Well, when you start to have doubts about whether or not you’re doing the right thing, just remember this is how this woman makes you feel’ Peter commented as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

The two men faced each other in the closed space and Peter managed to navigate around Neal, taking two steps then turning to retrace his movements in the other direction in an awkward attempt at pacing.

He let out a giant exhale. ‘I can’t take much more of this’ he moaned, sounding like a petulant child.

Neal shook his head. ‘Try four years in a nine by six cell’ he replied glibly.

Granted, this little escapade would soon be forgotten, unlike the lifetime memories Neal had of his more than four years as a guest of Sing Sing Penitentiary. But despite that sad realization, Peter felt his stomach grumble and let out a plaintive moan.

‘I'm starved!’ he complained again.

‘For God’s sake, Peter!’ Neal snapped back. ‘Get a grip! I once had to go three days without food and I ended up feasting on some grubs and scorpions I found.’

Peter gave him a look of absolute disbelief but Neal stared right back at him. ‘You don’t believe me?’

Peter settled back on the floor and watched Neal join him, preparing to tell him another one of his many tall tales.

‘Moz and I got separated once in Thailand after a job gone bad’ he began as Peter gave him a foreboding look. He wanted details.

‘We’d been planning to attend the annual royal procession in Bangkok so we could get close to some of the jewelry the royal family would be wearing for the occasion. It was... let’s just say, it was a poorly planned job that was even more poorly executed. I was young and foolish... and impulsive. Moz tried to warn me but I thought I knew better. Anyway, we were spotted and we ended up hightailing it out of there so fast we couldn't see our shadows. Mozzie managed to make it back to the safe house but I got stuck in the bush and I got myself turned around... I spent two nights hiding out in the jungle with turtles and lizards and snakes and frogs — by the third day, I decided I needed to have something to eat before I passed out so I rustled up some frogs and some scorpions.’

Peter stared at him, disbelieving. ‘Scorpions? You ate live scorpions?’

‘Yeah...’ Neal teased, egging him on. ‘You just bite in, they’re wiggly... and delicious’ he said as Peter grimaced.

‘Of course not! You stun them, with a rock and then you... Look, when there’s nothing but wilderness around you, you have to make do. Don't tell me you’ve never eaten anything that was out of your comfort zone.’

Peter reflected, his eyes rolling back in his head as he conjured up the memory of the strangest thing he’d ever ingested.

‘I had a vegetarian burger once’ he finally said with a straight face. ‘El ordered it for me behind my back and I was halfway through finishing it before I realized what it was.’

Neal scoffed; surely Peter was pulling his leg.

‘You’ve never had frogs’ legs?’ he asked as Peter frowned.

‘Why would I want to have frogs’ —’

He’d barely spoken the words when a rumbling sound was heard and the bright lights came on above their heads, startling them. The next thing they knew, they were moving, slowly, steadily, the elevator gliding smoothly downwards as the light indicator came on — 17, 16, 15, 14.

They both got to their feet, grabbing their coat jackets from where they lay nearby.

‘Yes!’ Neal shouted out as he gave Peter an enthusiastic high five.

‘Finally!’ Peter added.

The ride down was short and uneventful, the doors opening onto the familiar lobby and the two men wasted no time stepping out, eager to return to their lives. They left the building without looking back, glancing out at the ugly mess outside the doors of the Federal Building.

The rain was still pouring relentlessly onto the frozen streets, salt trucks visible in all directions as city crews attempted to make the roads and sidewalks passable for drivers and pedestrians alike. Neal and Peter walked gingerly towards the parking garage located one block away, sticking to the most traveled areas on the pavement in an attempt to keep from falling and breaking their necks.

Peter was the first to lose his footing, slipping on an icy patch which was hidden underneath a puddle the size of a small river. He went down, his arms reaching out to cushion his fall and Neal leaned down to help him up, immediately joining him on the ground as his legs slipped out from under him, landing him butt first in the pool of water. Both men cursed and upon getting a glimpse of the other, began to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, struggling to get back on their feet. They managed to help each other up, their overcoats soaked and their disposition rather soured; at least, the elevator had been dry.

‘Let me see that wrist’ Neal said as they finally arrived under the shelter of the parking garage.

Peter let go of the hand he’d been holding against his body since the fall, his wrist beginning to swell under his grasp.

‘Can you move it?’ Neal shouted over the sound of the punishing rain.

Peter demonstrated with a flick of his wrist, wincing in pain. ‘I think it’s just a sprain.’

‘Do you want to go get it checked out?’

‘Yeah... by Dr. Elizabeth Burke’ Peter said with a forced grin. ‘She has an office in Brooklyn.’

‘Here’ he added as he pulled out his car keys. ‘You drive.’

The sound of the rain grew muted once they were safely in the car and the two men tried to make themselves as comfortable as one could while wearing soaking wet overcoats in freezing temperatures. Neal cranked up the heat and turned to look at Peter.

‘Are you sure you don't want to stop by the emergency room or a clinic on the way home?’

‘Naw, I can move it’ Peter mumbled. ‘It’s not broken. Anyway, El will take care of it’ he added knowingly as Neal scowled.

‘Oh, yeah? Did Elizabeth get a medical degree I don’t know about?’ he asked with a smirk.

‘You’ll see’ Peter said, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. ‘One of the perks of being married is that your better half fusses over you and is always there to take care of you. Sometimes, if you play your cards right, you can even get... extras.’

‘Extras?’ Neal repeated, puzzled.

‘Yeah, you know, back rubs, cuddling... sex.’

Neal let out a roaring laugh. ‘You have to pretend to be hurt for your wife to want to have sex with you? Peter, you’re worse off than I thought.’

Peter seemed a little embarrassed. ‘No, you know what I mean, you can play it up a little when you’re sick or a little under the weather... women love that kind of thing, that needy, puppy dog look. It makes them feel needed.’

Neal shook his head in disbelief. ‘Well, all I can tell you is I don't need to injure anything for Sara to be interested in sex. Especially lately...’ he added, letting his voice trail.

He hesitated for a moment but Peter wouldn't - or couldn’t - leave well enough alone.

‘What do you mean, lately?’

‘It’s just... she’s been a little... predatory the last couple of weeks.’

He regretted saying the words as soon as they left his lips and predictably, Peter couldn't help pushing for more details.

‘Oh yeah?’ he said, his sore wrist momentarily forgotten as he prodded Neal for more information. ‘What do you mean, predatory?’

‘Not predatory exactly... just... don’t get me wrong, she’s hot as hell, especially since she’s gotten pregnant and we have no problems in... the bedroom. But lately, she’s been really into it and it’s just... I don’t know, the baby’s in there and —’

It was Peter’s turn to make fun of his partner. ‘What? You think your daughter is listening in on the two of you having sex?’

‘No! Ewww! Peter!’ Neal said with a shiver. ‘It’s just... I don’t want to hurt her, she’s taking up a lot of room in there and... sometimes, I worry about, you know... poking her.’

Peter let out a loud bark of a laugh at Neal’s expense as Neal frowned, concentrating on keeping the car on the road.

‘Poking her?’ he repeated loudly. ‘I see you have a rather inflated perception of your... attributes.’

‘No!’ Neal said, indignant. ‘It’s not about the size of my... Oh, forget it! I am not discussing this with you’ he said, pouting and returning his attention to the road ahead.

Peter could see that Neal was genuinely annoyed by his comment. Time to bring the teasing down a notch.

‘Look, I’ll admit I don't have any experience sleeping with pregnant women but I’m pretty sure it’s...’ he stopped momentarily, searching for the right word. ‘... well insulated in there.’

‘Insulated?’ Neal repeated, deadpan. ‘This is my girlfriend we’re talking about, Peter, not a thermos.’

‘Well, look it up’ Peter advised. ‘You’re the one who’s made it his mission to know everything about your girlfriend’s pregnancy.’

They grew quiet, uncomfortable with the topic as Neal maneuvered onto the bridge, following closely behind a salt truck despite its slow speed; better safe than sorry.

‘So, are you asking her tonight?’ Peter said after a few moments of silence.

‘To have sex?’ Neal replied, surprised at Peter’s question.

‘NO! You know...’ Peter said with a head nod towards Neal’s breast pocket.

‘Well, I’m not asking her in front of you, that’s for sure’ Neal replied, obviously still smarting from Peter’s earlier teasing.

Silence returned and Neal seemed to snap out of his bad mood. ‘I’m going to try to get her to come home with me...’ he said, his voice quiet.

Peter could sense the very real jitters Neal was experiencing and he recalled his own ‘proposal’ to Elizabeth, the incessant butterflies in his stomach as that little velvet box burned a hole in his pocket. It was a big decision and there was always the fear that, no matter how much you thought you knew a woman and believed you were on the same page, she could turn down your proposal — for all kinds of reasons.

‘It’ll be fine, Neal’ he said, his voice reassuring. ‘Sara loves you and you two are going to be great together. Mark my words, in ten years, you’ll be asking me for advice on how to keep your marriage interesting.’

Neal scoffed. ‘I think I’m fine with keeping Sara interested’ he said, a little grumpily. ‘And, besides, I’m not sure you'd be the one I'd turn to for advice on keeping a woman happy.’

Peter seemed peeved but remained quiet; El was perfectly content in their marriage — wasn't she?

Neal began to thaw and after a few moments of silence, he glanced over in Peter’s direction, noticing the man was rubbing his wrist absent-mindedly.

‘But thanks for the offer’ he muttered. ‘So, how’s your wrist?’

‘I’ll live’ Peter said stoically. ‘I’ve had paper cuts that hurt more than this.’

‘Peter...’ Neal said, growing serious. ‘Look, I really appreciate you listening to me back there. I guess it’s not every day you ask the woman you love to marry you and I’m feeling a little... tense.’

‘Perfectly understandable, buddy’ Peter said, bringing his good hand up to squeeze Neal’s shoulder in the cramped quarters of the car.

Neal looked over and smiled.

‘Now, keep your eyes on the road’ Peter reprimanded.

WCWCWC

‘I don’t know how you did it but you managed to help me forget my troubles’ Sara said as El pulled the photo album off her lap and returned it to its rightful place underneath the coffee table.

After dessert, the two women had settled side by side on the couch and Sara had spotted the wedding album, her attention drawn to the beautifully bound memory book. The last hour had been spent with El recounting their wedding day, pointing out friends and relatives in photographs, talking about the meal, the venue, the cute way in which Peter had stuttered when he’d recited his wedding vows.

‘Do you ever think about getting married?’ she asked Sara.

Sara smiled wanly. ‘I think everybody wonders if marriage is in their future someday. But to be honest, I’ve never been the type to dream about her wedding day - I guess I’m not really into the whole princess thing, the hype, the cake, the dress... Growing up, I was always more focussed on my career, on learning to stand on my own two feet; I tended to prefer guys with their nose to the grindstone and their feet firmly on the ground.’

El smiled; what Sara had just described was pretty well the opposite of Neal, a guy with his head in the clouds and his heart on his sleeve and yet... Neal and Sara made it work somehow.

‘After my parents died...’ Sara continued. ‘I just wanted to concentrate on having a successful career and making sure I didn't count on anybody else to give me what I needed... or wanted. I tended to do my own thing, I was never really big on taking chances.’

El studied her friend; she’d come a long way but old habits died hard and it was obvious Sara Ellis was still afraid of getting hurt.

‘Well, marriage is a huge commitment’ Elizabeth admitted. ‘But it’s amazing when you share it with the right person.’

Sara nodded, her gaze far away. ‘I’ve never thought of myself as a white picket fence kind of girl and now, I’ve fallen in love with a guy who’s anything but the marrying kind.’

‘You don’t see yourself with Neal in the future?’ 

She knew all too well from Mozzie’s earlier confession, that Neal was very much seeing himself as the marrying kind - even though Sara hadn't yet discovered that about him yet.

‘We’ll always stay connected’ she said, rubbing her belly. ‘We share a child and I know he’ll always be there for her... for the two of us but... well, it’s not going to be a traditional relationship, I don’t think.’

‘You never know’ El mused. ‘People change, they grow and they evolve and sometimes they realize that what they need, what they truly want... well, it’s not what they thought they wanted all along.’

Before Sara could respond, the phone rang once again and this time, El was quick to rise and reach for it expectantly. The conversation was short and she turned to look at Sara.

‘The guys have been sprung’ she announced. ‘They’ll be here any minute.’

WCWCWC

The slow commute finally ended at the doorstep of the Burke home and the two men stepped carefully onto the sidewalk, staring up with alarm at the icy steps leading to the house.

‘I’ve got salt in the trunk’ Peter announced as he perched himself against the car and waited for Neal to walk around to his side.

‘I’ll do it, Butch’ Neal teased. ‘You just try not to fall off your horse again.’

He slowly made his way to the trunk of the car, finding the bag of salt and practically skating over to where Peter stood, hanging on to the car for dear life.

With great effort, Neal slipped and slid over to the sidewalk portion right in front of the Burke home and began to sprinkle the salt, watching it almost immediately sink into the softening ice, breaking it up on the surface.

‘Wait until I do the steps’ he advised Peter as he methodically spread the salt, climbing slow but steadily, making sure to generously coat the slippery steps.

He came back down, offering his arm to Peter as the older man grimaced.

‘Is this what it’s going to be like in twenty-five years? You helping me up the steps to my house?’

‘If you’re lucky’ Neal teased, pulling his friend along. ‘Careful!’

They took their time, arriving at the front door thoroughly soaked to find Elizabeth standing in the vestibule waiting for them to make their way up.

‘Oh, my God! You guys are sopping wet’ she cried out to them as they stepped into the house.

Sara stood, hand on her belly, right inside the door, trying to give them room to manoeuvre and her eyes went immediately to Neal’s whose gaze was searching for hers.

‘Hey!’ he called out with a wide grin despite the horrendous weather conditions and the fact that he was soaked all the way through.

It took but a minute for Elizabeth to notice that her husband was protecting his right wrist and her eyes searched his for an explanation.

‘What happened?’ she asked, concerned.

‘Oh, it’s nothing’ Peter said sombrely, playing the sympathy card. ‘I feel on the ice, I think I sprained it.’

‘Oh no!’ El said predictably, arm around her husband. ‘Come here, honey. Let me look at that.’

Peter gave Neal a small, sideway glance and if Neal didn't know better he could have sworn he saw a small smirk on the older man’s face as he was whisked away into the kitchen for a thorough examination - and some cuddling, snuggling and who knew what else.

‘Finally, you’re here!’ Sara sighed as the Burkes disappeared into the back of the house.

Neal pulled off his hat and let his coat drop at his feet, his arms instantly around his girlfriend, holding her so tight he thought he might hurt her.

‘Sara...’ he murmured, relief flooding his voice.

She brought her hands to touch the ends of his hair which, despite the fact he’d been wearing a hat, were soaked through.

‘Let me get you a towel’ she said, attempting to pull away. ‘You’re drenched.’

‘No, no, it’s okay. Just hold me for a minute’ he said breathlessly as she gave in and hugged him tightly.

She pulled away, his arms still tightly wound around her back, feeling her round, comforting belly warming him from the bone chilling cold.

‘You are a sight for sore eyes’ he murmured, bringing his hand to cup her face. ‘You okay?’

‘Me? I’ve been safe in this house for the last few hours. You’re the one who’s been out there braving theelements.’

‘It’s just rain’ he said, his eyes riveted on her face.

God, she was beautiful and just the sight of her took his breath away. He felt unexpected emotion rising in his chest as she gave him a glorious smile.

‘Come on in’ she said, finally pulling out of his grasp. ‘You must be starved.’

Neal leaned down to pick up his coat and hung it on a nearby hook, finally stepping in and closing the inner door and he saw the fire burning in the fireplace, feeling the warmth of the house envelop him.

‘Aww, it’s nice to be in from the cold’ he admitted as the Burkes reappeared, Peter holding an ice pack against his injured hand.

‘It doesn't look broken’ Elizabeth reported as the men moved to the living room and took a seat.

‘How about a drink?’ Sara asked, moving to the dining room table and pouring two wine glasses.

By the time she turned around, El was at the refrigerator, grabbing a beer for Peter and Sara returned one of the glasses to the table and made her way to sit next to Neal.

‘Here you go, sweetie’ she said, handing him the glass of wine.

Peter wagged his eyebrows at Neal. _Just play it up, buddy_ his body language telegraphed... _and you’ll get lots of nice cuddles_.

‘That’s nice’ Neal moaned as he settled back and took a sip of his wine.

He looked at Sara, summoning up his puppy dog eyes. ‘It was brutal out there.’

‘Oh, baby, I’m sorry’ Sara said, falling right into his dastardly trap. ‘But you’re here now’ she said, moving in closer and whispering in his ear. ‘I’ll take good care of you.’

Peter and Neal exchanged knowing looks, turning towards their significant others as the women continued to fawn over them.

Maybe Peter had a point.

WCWCWC

The rain ended by mid-evening and despite Peter and El’s kind offer to have them spend the night in the guest room, Sara insisted on heading back home - her home. Neal had tried his best to convince her to come back to Riverside Drive with him but Sara was adamant that she wanted to get a few things done at the apartment. The subtext was clear: Sara needed some time to think things over and was asking for space to do it.

Neal insisted on accompanying her over to her place and once there, he walked her up the steps which, thankfully, had been salted by the building’s superintendent prior to their arrival. Once at the door, he tried one last time to convince her to come home with him, to no avail.

‘Then, how about I come inside and... tuck you in’ he suggested with a wag of his eyebrows as the cab idled at the curb.

Sara leaned in to kiss him and he felt himself melt in her touch, the warmth of her mouth welcome against the cool night air.

‘Not tonight, Neal’ she whispered, pulling away from him. ‘But I will take you up on your invitation and come over to your place for dinner tomorrow night. We can talk then, okay?’

He grimaced at her use of the term _your_ place; he considered his apartment at June’s to be their home and he was more determined than ever to show her that she belonged there, with him. At least, she’d agreed to come over for dinner, that was something and Neal grew determined to make it a night she would always remember.

His arms curled around her back, settling her in his arms, unwilling to let her go - not yet, anyway. They had never really done the traditional thing everyone referred to as ‘dating’ but as they stood there in the portico of her brownstone, it was as if he was returning his date home after an evening out and angling for an invitation to come in for a nightcap.

He kissed her again, more insistently; the warmth of her body against his, both calming and intoxicating.

‘You know that’s going to cost you a fortune’ Sara said, pointing in the direction of the cab.

‘I don’t care’ Neal murmured, his mouth returning to hers, nibbling on her bottom lip.

‘Come on Caffrey. You’re giving everybody on the street a show’ she said - despite the fact there was no one in sight.

‘I don’t care’ he repeated, his face solemn and earnest. ‘I love you, Sara.’

‘I love you too, Neal. Now scoot’ she said, physically prying herself out of his insistent grip.

‘Get some sleep, okay? And I’ll see you tomorrow. Around five?’

‘I’ll be waiting’ he said as he watched her turn away.

He stood there, watching as she made her way to her apartment and unlocked the door. She turned and gave him a small wave and just like that, she was gone.

And he felt so, so cold.

WCWCWC

‘Oh, honey! That looks so sore’ Elizabeth said as she watched Peter struggle with buttoning up his pyjamas with his bum wrist. ‘Here, let me do that for you.’

She kneeled on the bed, facing him as he gave her a forlorn look.

‘El, are you happy with me? I mean, in our marriage’ he asked, out of the blue.

She chuckled. ‘Of course I’m happy, honey. What’s that all about?’

‘Nothing... just a conversation I had with Neal.’

She frowned in response. ‘Things are getting pretty serious between him and Sara, huh?’

‘Could be’ he replied, hesitant about sharing Neal’s news until Sara had that ring on her finger.

‘Ouch’ Peter moaned, mostly for effect, when El accidentally brushed up against his hand.

‘Sorry, honey’ Elizabeth cooed, watching as Peter slipped in under the covers.

‘You know what would feel really good?’ he said with a tentative smile. ‘A back rub.’

He turned over onto his stomach, waiting for El’s magic fingers to go to work on his aching back.

‘A back rub?’ he heard her say. ‘For a sore wrist?’

‘No, no, not for my wrist’ he lied, hoping a back rub might lead to some more serious cuddling and maybe more. ‘But I was sitting on the floor for hours and... I’m still frozen to the bone.’

‘Oh’ El said with a knowing smile. ‘You’re frozen to the bone.’

Peter looked over his shoulder; he knew he’d been made but he didn't care — not really.

‘And what bone might that be?’

WCWCWC

The silence in the apartment cut through Neal like a knife. He hated it when Sara wasn't there. She was a bright light in his life; coming home to her at the end of the day always made everything worthwhile.

He got undressed, leaving his ruined clothes in a pile — everything would have to be sent to the cleaners anyway — and he climbed into the cold, lonely bed.

He opened the pretty blue box and stared down at the ring he hoped would be on Sara’s finger by the end of the next day. It sparkled in the near darkness and he sighed at the thought of Sara and the baby so far away.

The next thing he knew, his phone was in his other hand and he was dialling the all too familiar number as he continued caressing the ring box, holding it snugly against his chest.

‘Hi Neal’ came Sara’s soft voice. ‘You made it home all right?’

‘Uh, huh’ Neal murmured into the phone. ‘But I miss you... did I wake you?’

‘No, I can’t sleep’ she admitted, secretly happy to hear his voice and wishing he was lying there next to her.

Neal smiled in the dark. ‘Is she keeping you up?’

Sara chuckled softly. ‘She’s doing some sort of aerobics, I think.’

Neal got a faraway look in his eyes. He put the ring box down on the bedside table and pulled the blankets up to cover his cold, shivering body.

‘Why don’t you put the phone up against your belly’ he whispered, his voice rough.

She smiled and did as he asked, balancing the phone on her baby bump. She could hear Neal’s soft voice as he talked to the baby, telling her how much he loved her, how he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms, how anxious Mommy and Daddy were to finally lay eyes on her. She felt the movement in her belly begin to quiet and her body started to relax in response to the sound of Neal’s voice singing softly, from across the miles.

It took but a minute for the two of them to settle and Sara lay her hand on her stomach, rubbing the baby’s back as the little one’s daddy sang to her.

After a few minutes, the baby stopped moving and Sara felt her hand fall away listlessly, Neal’s voice lulling both his girls to sleep.

La fin


End file.
